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Just in case you'd like a robot butler to follow you home, Amazon would work on an Alexa bot with wheels that can be summoned via voice commands.
The robot, which would be codenamed Vesta, was developed by Amazon Lab126, a research center based in Sunnyvale, California. Vesta was originally reported by Bloomberg last year. The report, which quotes sources familiar with the product, said the prototypes of the robot are up to the size, that they feature advanced cameras, a computer vision and that they can navigate to through houses like driverless cars. Supposedly, we were about to see Vesta hit the market earlier this year, but a new Bloomberg report released on Friday indicates that it is not yet ready for mass production.
It's usually a bad sign for domestic robots – who have had a 2018 year as terrible as many fashionable robots such as Jibo and Kuri who have closed their doors. However, Bloomberg notes that the company has hired engineers from other projects to work on Vesta. At the very least, this means that Amazon has not abandoned the idea that a domestic robot will reach the market. This raises some questions, however.
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First, what exactly would an Alexa robot do? Other failed home robots are usually meant to be adorable and useful companions. Jibo, for example, could not only answer questions – much like an Alexa – but was also programmed to interact in a fun way, such as placing a custom order or scanning a room for monsters. Kuri included a camera so that she could behave like a pseudo-security robot and a family filmographer, over a purring sound when you pat her. On the other hand, Amazon has voluntarily kept Alexa rather neutral in the personality department, although you may ask her to rap, but be warned, the results are disappointing.
The reported inclusion of wheels, voice invocations and computer vision would seem to indicate that the Vesta can follow you, acting as a kind of mobile Echo device for parts in which you have no echo nearby. Do not say it would be stupid, but it's also useless to shell out hundreds of dollars if you get a result that actually equates to sticking an Echo speaker on a Roomba. It may not be elegant, but most people can do it themselves with a good amount of duct tape.
We contacted Amazon, but a spokesman said the company did not comment on "rumors or speculations".
Nevertheless, if the Vesta were actually put on the market, it would have an advantage. According to an industry survey conducted in January 2019, more than a quarter of the American adult population now owns a smart speaker, with 61% of them using some sort of Amazon Echo device. This kind of familiarity, added to Amazon's deep pockets, gives it a leg up on independent domestic robot companies that have so far failed to gain traction with consumers. And if Amazon can find a way to lower the price, it may be something.
Speaking of the Amazon Echo, Bloomberg also announced the possibility of seeing a new beefier Echo by next year. The prototype is said to be wider than the current Echo, so it can include four tweeters. Audio quality is not good on Echo speakers – competitors such as Google Nest Hub, Sonos and Apple's HomePod like to emphasize it in their marketing.
Whatever the case may be, both rumors point to Amazon inventing new methods to invade your home and stay there.
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