Amazon’s Robot

Amazon has built a household robot: Astro. This 20.6lb device, which resembles a screen on top of a small vacuum cleaner, ‘learns’ the layout of your home and can navigate independently. There is a camera on an extendable mast and it can follow you about, which is fun for video calls. You can also operate it remotely to look around your home while you’re out. Amazon’s promotional blurb struggles to explain why you might want one, suggesting it can be used to “remotely care for aging loved ones”. It can’t tackle steps but does look fairly cute. This feat of technology has an introductory price of $999, rising to $1,499