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Amazon’s new Astro ‘robo dog’ is a total game-changer

Gabrielle LaFrank
By

PawTracks readers: Meet Astro, Amazon’s newest addition to their home-devices family. This adorable little robot not only wanders around the house but keeps you company, too. You may even call it the Amazon “robo dog” — that’s certainly what this little machine will look like as it follows you around your home.

Read on to learn the ins and outs of Amazon’s Astro home assistant, from its functions and features to the special way it’s being released to the public. Nothing about this robotic companion has been seen before, so you’ll want to check it out — especially pet parents. If you can’t have another pet, you may have found the next best thing!

Amazon Astro home assistant waits at the door
Image used with permission by copyright holder

What is Amazon Astro?

This security device, mobile Zoom camera, and “Alexa on wheels” known as Astro is an all-in-one, mobile version of the Amazon accessories you already know and love. It’s a two-wheeled, 2-foot-tall AI companion that can act just as alive as it can robotic. Its 10-inch screen can display a variety of facial expressions, and it can even interact with games and commands.

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As cute as its on-screen eyes are, it’s actually the dozens of cameras and sensors in this bot’s body that help it navigate your home and recognize your face. With no external devices or sensors, there won’t be anything for you to set up around your home, either.

What can Amazon Astro do?

Amazon Astro is more than just a companion. Once the bot has mapped out your main floor’s layout, it can travel around the main story of your home with ease. This little robot can also raise, lower, tilt, and rotate its screen — which contains a camera, of course — for easy video calls anywhere in your home.

Astro isn’t just a pet! It can do things such as:

  • Bring an object from another room to you.
  • Recognize faces.
  • Patrol your home for security threats.
  • Follow a person.
  • Act as your camera and mic for video calls.
  • Self-charge.
  • Play music.

And more.

With a variety of features, and possibly more to come as Amazon rolls out their newest invention, it’s no wonder there’s so much competition to acquire an Astro of your own. Luckily, you can increase your chances of being invited to be part of the inaugural product launch — here’s what you need to know:

How to get your own Amazon Astro

The Amazon Astro home assistance robot
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re interested in owning your very own home assistant robot, you can submit an invitation request on Amazon. Unfortunately, this is your only way to go, since the launch of this product will be by invitation only — coming later this year. Those whose invitations are accepted will also be asked to provide feedback to Amazon as they get to know Astro, so future developments can be even better.

For just $1,000 and a bit of patience, any animal lover can have their own robotic pet waiting for them at the end of a long workday. It doesn’t take much to request an invitation from Amazon, plus, you’ll get to be part of an exciting new product launch — what are you waiting for?

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Gabrielle LaFrank
Gabrielle LaFrank
Contributor
Gabrielle LaFrank has written for sites such as Psych2Go, Elite Daily, and, currently, PawTracks. When she's not writing, you…
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