What Is the Amazon Astro Home Robot and What Can It Do?

Meet the Amazon Astro Home Robot, Amazon's first-ever robotic home assistant.

Ready for a glimpse into the future? Still wishing you had your own talking home companion? Want to feel like you’re living in The Jetsons? Then meet the Amazon Astro Home Robot, the adorable home companion that could soon be rolling into your house. Here’s everything you need to know, including how to get on the pre-order list.

What is the Amazon Astro Home Robot?

Amazon’s new robot is a 20-pound roving companion that can follow you around your home, follow voice commands, and complete tasks for you on the go. Essentially, it’s everything you love about Alexa—but on wheels, and Astro offers everything Alexa can do…and much more.

One of its coolest features is its storage bin, which is used to transport items to others in your home using a visual ID. Yep, you can send toilet paper to the guest bathroom.

Your usual suspects are available too: movies, podcasts, music, calls, messages, and more. You can even integrate Astro with your Ring security system and stream live video from the robot to the device of your choice. Remotely send Astro to check on specific rooms or people. Plus, get alerts if Astro detects an unrecognized person or certain sounds when you’re away.

All of Astro’s actions are controlled via a mobile app, which you set up, to deliver notifications about its behavior, alerts, and navigation. Use the app to remotely navigate Astro and send it to other parts of your home as well.

The bot will also learn your everyday habits and your home’s layout so it can better serve you. Much like a robot vacuum, it navigates away from pets and other hazards, and returns to its charging station to juice up when not in use. It’s like your Roomba suddenly got a lot smarter and picked up a few of the best Alexa skills.

What to know

Interested? We don’t blame you, because the Internet is positively aflame with talk about this cute little bot. Not only is it useful, but the Amazon Astro Home Robot fills several roles: assistant, security monitor, helper for elderly family members, or a fun little robot friend that’s always by your side. Here are a few reasons you might decide Astro is right for you and your home:

  • It’s cutting-edge tech that you can be one of the first to try.
  • Access Alexa features and more throughout your home.
  • Control smart home features remotely for peace of mind when you’re away.
  • Eliminate bickering between family and friends with the delivery feature.

But as cute as Astro may be, there are a few things to think about before trying out Amazon’s coolest new viral product. Welcoming the robot, which is essentially a mobile remote monitoring device, into a home does have some concerns.

This diminutive droid could spell privacy issues, as it operates much the same way as your other Alexa-enabled devices do. That means it can record based on the settings you’ve allowed. With that in mind, there are a few potential cons to be aware of:

Fortunately, Amazon included a range of options to quell potential privacy issues:

  • Do not disturb options.
  • Out of bounds zones.
  • Streaming indicator to see when the camera is in use.
  • Standard suite of Alexa privacy features.

As with all of Amazon’s suite of Alexa-enabled devices, it’ll be up to each user to utilize these features for their own peace of mind. These are all factors to consider before securing an Astro pre-order.

Where to buy it

Amazon Astro Home Robot Product Imagevia amazon.com

The Amazon Astro Home Robot is the talk of the tech sphere (and your social media feed), and by now you’re probably wondering how you can reserve your own. Currently, the diminutive digital companion isn’t for sale, at least in the traditional sense that you’d typically purchase from Amazon’s digital storefront.

Instead, you’ll need to sign up for an invitation to participate in Amazon’s “Day 1 Edition” program. If selected, you can purchase the robot for $999.99 during a special introductory period.

After that, the price will jump to $1,449.99. You’ll also receive a free six-month trial of Ring Protect Pro professional monitoring plan for use with the Ring smart security system with your purchase.

Amazon hasn’t announced a specific release date for the Astro Home Robot beyond “later this year.” If you don’t want to miss out on your opportunity, be sure to request your invitation as soon as possible via the Amazon Astro Home Robot pre-order page.

Amazon Astro Home Robot Specs:

  • Dimensions: 16.7″ L x 9.8″ W x 17.3″ H
  • Weight: 20.6 lbs
  • Sensors: Stereo depth sensors with 2 red night-vision LEDs
  • Display: 10.1-inch HD touchscreen with 1200×800 resolution
  • Camera: 5MP bezel camera, 1080p periscope camera with 132-degree diagonal field of view
  • Audio: 2.1 audio system with 55mm front-firing speakers
  • Processor: 2x Qualcomm QCS605, 1x Qualcomm SDA660, 1x processor with Amazon AZ1 Neural Edge
  • Ports: USB-C
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
  • Warranty: 1-year, limited

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Brittany Vincent
As Tech Editor at Large at Reader’s Digest, Brittany is an expert in smart devices, gaming consoles, and home tech with 14 years of experience in the industry. She’s been tinkering with tech since she was a young girl building PCs with her father.