Amazon’s home robot secret plan

Amazon are reportedly working on a challenging new project: robots for the home.

The retail and cloud computing giant has embarked on an ambitious, top-secret plan to build a domestic robot, according to people familiar with the plans. Codenamed “Vesta”, the project is overseen by Gregg Zehr, who runs Amazon’s Lab126 hardware research and development division.

Lab126 is responsible for Amazon devices such as the Echo speakers, Fire TV set-top boxes, Fire tablets and the ill-fated Fire Phone.

The Vesta project originated a few years ago, but this year Amazon began to aggressively ramp up hiring. There are dozens of listings on the Lab126 Jobs page for openings like “Software Engineer, Robotics” and “Principle Sensors Engineer”.

People briefed on the plan say the company hopes to begin seeding the robots in employees’ homes by the end of this year, and potentially with consumers as early as 2019.

An Amazon spokesperson said the company doesn’t comment on “rumours and speculation”.

It’s unclear what tasks an Amazon robot might perform. People familiar with the project speculate that the Vesta robot could be a sort of mobile Alexa, accompanying customers in parts of their home where they don’t have Echo devices.

Prototypes of the robots have advanced cameras and computer vision software and can navigate through homes like a self-driving car.

Former Apple executive Max Paley is leading the work on computer vision. Amazon has also hired specialised mechanical engineers from the robotics industry.

The project is different than the robots designed by Amazon Robotics, a company subsidiary, according to people familiar with the project.

The promise of domestic robots that offer companionship or perform basic chores has tantalised the technology industry for decades. Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari, introduced the Topo Robot back in 1983. Though it could be programmed to move around by an Apple II computer, it did little else and sold poorly.

Subsequent attempts to produce useful robotic servants over the years have performed only marginally better. iRobot Corp’s Roomba, which only does one thing — vacuum — is the standout and has sold more than 20 million units since 2002. The company’s shares fell 8.6 per cent on Monday, the biggest intraday decline since February. — Bloomberg