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Music Robotics Technology

Amazon Continues Work On Mobile Home Robot As It Preps New High-End Echo, Says Report (theverge.com) 52

Posted by BeauHD from the currently-in-the-works dept.
Citing a report from Bloomberg, The Verge reports that Amazon is working on a mobile home robot and a high-end Echo to compete against the Apple HomePod and Google Home Max. From the report: We first heard about Amazon's plans to build a wheeled home robot in April last year. The project is reportedly codenamed "Vesta" (after the Roman goddess of the hearth), and rumors suggest it's a sort of "mobile Alexa" that's able to follow users around their homes. Today's report doesn't add significantly to this picture, but it seems Amazon is still keen to build the mobile device. It was apparently slated to launch this year but wasn't ready for mass-production. Engineers have reportedly been pulled from other projects to work on Vesta, and Gurman reports that prototypes are "waist-high and navigate with the help of an array of computer-vision cameras." They can also be summoned using voice commands.

Along with its mystery robot, Amazon is also reportedly working on a high-end Echo device that's due to be released next year. Bloomberg says the cylindrical speaker is wider than existing Echo products in order to fit in extra speaker components, and it could launch alongside a high-fidelity version of Amazon's music streaming service.
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Amazon Continues Work On Mobile Home Robot As It Preps New High-End Echo, Says Report More

Amazon Continues Work On Mobile Home Robot As It Preps New High-End Echo, Says Report

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  • Mobile Home Robot (Score:3)

    by mentil ( 1748130 ) on Saturday July 13, 2019 @05:15AM (#58918510)

    The Autobots ain't what they used to be...

  • What with the confirmation that Amazon keeps your voice recordings forever, the last thing I'd want is an Echo with a camera; or worse, an Echo with a camera that's on wheels and can follow me. If the only benefit is that I can access Alexa from anywhere... well that's what smartwatches/phones are for, no robot necessary. If they're going to position it as a butler/maid, or a pet that can entertain young children/other pets, then ok, but otherwise it's going to be too expensive to justify existing.

    • There's the privacy issue that bothers me as well as the poor state of the voice interpretation. I can imagine an Amazon robot doing my laundry because I said, "I'd like to hear some Gina Clowes." What it heard would have been, "Be a dear and clean the clothes." When what I actually wanted was some bluegrass music in the background.

      I was given an Echo Dot as payment for helping my brother with his computer. It was a nice gift at first, I could have it play music for me, stream some local radio stations

      • i would have smashed it to pieces and wrapped the debris in aluminum foil or throw it in a tire fire, the dot might seem friendly but its not your friend, its an electronic eavesdropping device spying on everyone that has it

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by GoTeam ( 5042081 )
      Sounds really helpful. "I see that you forgot to wear a condom, would you like me to order a pregnancy test for your girlfriend?"
    • Even for those of us that are fine with Echo (my home is extensively smart and automated); I already have an Echo in every room and cams in many of them. Unless there is some groundbreaking new feature, I don't see this as something I'd invest in.

    • Itâ(TM)s handy: if it annoys you you just have to turn around and set fire to it.

  • The last thing I want is an Alexa that follows me around. If the "robot" cannot manipulate it's environment, then what is the point? However, if it can manipulate its environment, can it be hacked and unlock your door(s)? I am sure that there is a market for a device with "hands," but I would be incredibly wary of having one in my home.

    • 'Manipulate things'
      Considering the overall trend I wouldn't be surprised if they secretly want to use the thing to go through all your stuff, search through your entire house, when you're not at home and/or asleep, so they know even more about your private life.

      • It's even worst than that.

        If you own one of these robots, it will learn your sleep/home/work patterns and know exactly when to call the other robots in the area do host a party in your home.

    • The last thing I want is an Alexa that follows me around

      It's difficult to imagine who would ever want this compared to a smartwatch or smartphone with the app. Nudists, I guess, since they won't have pockets, and won't want to wear a watch?

    • I too don't see the utility versus just having a device in every room and/or in your pocket, but...

      Unlock your door? It always blows my mind that people think their doors secure them in any way. I guess they might secure you somewhat from someone that cares whether you know they were there. But, a few WiFi cameras spread around will do a better job of that than a door lock.

      Any decent thief has many ways into your home if they decide there is anything of value there. It is even possible with many homes to ju

  • Comment removed (Score:4)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Saturday July 13, 2019 @06:19AM (#58918642)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • People who live in Mobile homes can't afford robots, you insensitive clod!

    • Wow... virtual +5 Funny to you, my good sir.

    • You might not want one, but a mobile home robot is a good place to start, since the lack of space means the mess from just a little falling behind on the cleaning can get in your way and make it harder to catch up. What I wonder, though, is whether it would be better to have the robot be separate, or to just make it so the mobile home is the robot. Perhaps they could start with shipping container sized Amazon tiny homes, move on to Amazon mobile homes, and then to Amazon doublewides and beyond. By the time

    • Yet another example of why we should mourn the loss of the hyphen, and cheer for its return. This is a mobile home-robot, not a mobile-home robot.

      Many years ago I read an excellent article on everyone's irrational fear of hyphens, with great examples of disambiguation. For example, what do we make of "high school building?" Is it a a school building that is high, or a building that is a high school? Add a hyphen in the right place, and the question goes away.

      Hyphens can even change the meaning of word-combi

  • My apartment is spread over three floors, plus a basement/garage. Can Amazon's robot walk up stairs . . . ? Or does Amazon expect me to by one for each floor? (In my case four in total).

    Also, I regularly dog-sit for a friend. The dog always follows me around, and his specialty is getting in the way. I'd would not a robot that does this behavior as well.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Tablizer ( 95088 )

      My apartment is spread over three floors, plus a basement/garage. Can Amazon's robot walk up stairs . . . ?

      No, but it's hell of a lot of fun watching them try. Even more going down.

  • So it's not enough that they want everyone to put a surveillance device in their home that listens (and in some cases watches) everything, they want you to get one that follows you around like some sort of keeper, too? Fuck you, Amazon. Also fuck you Google, and whoever else makes these gods-be-damned things. Enough already.
  • When I read "mobile home robot", I had a whole other concept in mind. This one is just disappointing by comparison.
  • Like in a trailer park?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by bobby ( 109046 )

      No. We usually think of robots as some bipedal humanoid-ish thing. But this robot is shaped like a mobile home. Just to be different I suppose.

  • though data about the size and number of rooms in your house is likely available already, how much furnishings you have and other aspects of occupancy is not and would be of value in targeting you. A roaming sensor collects a lot more data. Even if they include some AI processing onboard and that data isn't directly sent out to be used by an offsite pilot AI, the chances that derived data is leaked are high.

    Full disclosure, I have Google Assistant devices within range most of the time and utilize them heavi

  • It's about time we get a robot for the rest of us. That roomba is too fancy pants. A robot with an enlarged midsection, a wifebeater and a budwieser... now you're talking.

    Of course, it'll never work. When you power it on, it'll tell you it wishes it could, but after that back injury a few years back, it just doesn't see how it can.

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