If it were human
“Like a friendly neighborhood watch captain who also happens to manage your calendar and answer every question you throw at them.”
Amazon Astro is a wheeled household robot developed by Amazon, designed to move freely around the home while serving as a mobile Alexa device, a security patrol unit, and a remote-monitoring companion — all in one compact, approachable package. It navigates autonomously around furniture and people, learning the layout of its home over time.
Its standout feature is a retractable periscope camera that can rise to peer over countertops or check on specific rooms, giving owners — or their family members — a literal eye inside the home from anywhere via a smartphone. Alexa integration means Astro can answer questions, play music, make calls, drop in on family, and control smart home devices as it rolls from room to room. It can also be set to patrol the home on a schedule or on demand, alerting owners to anything out of the ordinary.
Astro is not a manipulator: it has no arms and cannot pick things up or perform physical tasks. What it excels at is presence — being the attentive, always-on member of the household who keeps watch, relays messages, and brings the full power of the Alexa ecosystem wherever it goes. It is particularly well suited to households with elderly relatives living alone, remote workers who want a home check-in, or anyone who wants smarter, more mobile home monitoring.
Currently available by invitation only in the United States, Astro lives at the intersection of smart home assistant and home guardian. At the agency, we see it as the ideal candidate for families who want a connected, watchful presence without the complexity of a full humanoid robot.
Tech sheet
- Creator
- Amazon
- Year
- 2021
- Country
- United States
- Type
- Wheeled home robot
- Status
- Available
See at the manufacturer
Features
- Alexa built-in
- Periscope camera
- Autonomous navigation
- Remote patrol
- Wheels
- Vision
