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Amazon Has a Robot and, No, It’s Not Jeff Bezos
Does Amazon know the secret to home robotic success and is it Astro?
Nerds, tech geeks, and sci-fi aficionados generally love robots. Most other people do not.
I fall into the former camp, but as I talk and tweet about the new personal consumer robot Amazon introduced on Tuesday, Amazon Astro, I’ve encountered many in the latter camp. Robots, no matter how cute, helpful, and privacy-aware are just not for them.
It’s a shame because most of us will need these robots someday. Maybe not right away, but the first time we fall and break out hip, we’ll want a friendly home robot strong enough to lift and put us back to bed.
Amazon’s Astro, a tiny automaton packed tight with motors, servos, sensors, neural nets, and motherboards, has all the earmarks of a good idea in search of a receptive audience.
It will be tough for Astro to find one.
In my 20-plus years covering robotics, I have seen so many warm, friendly, non-threatening robots…
