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Amazon’s Astro and the quest for competent robot help

Robots are here and thanks to Astro, they’re invading your home. We take a look at the pros and cons of Astro as well as the past, present and future of helper bots. Others of note include Mayfield Robotics Kuri, Aeolus, Samsung Bot Handy and more. 0:00 Intro 0:20 How We Got Here 1:01 Astro…

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Robots are here and thanks to Astro, they’re invading your home. We take a look at the pros and cons of Astro as well as the past, present and future of helper bots.

Others of note include Mayfield Robotics Kuri, Aeolus, Samsung Bot Handy and more.

0:00 Intro
0:20 How We Got Here
1:01 Astro Wasn’t First
1:27 Kuri
2:18 Aelous
3:40 Honorable Mentions
4:55 Astro’s Features
5:23 Privacy
5:56 Functionality
6:30 Amazon’s Experiments
7:03 What Astro is Missing

Astro Invitation:
Astro privacy concerns:
Amazon’s frightening popularity:

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45 Comments

45 Comments

  1. Self-Law

    October 12, 2021 at 12:30 pm

    Nah not interested. I would rather have guns.

  2. thecomebackid

    October 12, 2021 at 12:34 pm

    all these robots and humanoid experiments is just begging for a future robot uprising and have us as their slaves. these libs never learn. always want something that will eventually destroy our civilization

  3. STE Show

    October 12, 2021 at 12:37 pm

    Rise of the Machines

  4. Rechie Canonigo

    October 12, 2021 at 12:53 pm

    Pretty long video for something that will not be a real product. Even its developers says its terrible.

  5. Numbers&Letters

    October 12, 2021 at 12:58 pm

    I just want a cute robot to sit on my desk.. doesn’t have to do much.. maybe play music or take pictures.. or just be an external hard drive that moves its eyes.. point is, in this day and age it really shouldn’t be so hard to make or find 🤔

  6. jimbert50

    October 12, 2021 at 1:47 pm

    Somebody, please create a robot vacuum cleaner that can do stairways and navigate over steps into sunken rooms.

    • Alex Monreal

      October 12, 2021 at 2:54 pm

      I’m not sure what company it was but they’re working on it

  7. Marsorry Ickua

    October 12, 2021 at 2:05 pm

    I remember the nonsense that was Sony’s Aibo (that little doggy thing… useless). Granted, not a helper, but not much more of anything else either…

    • Billie Obviously

      October 12, 2021 at 8:37 pm

      The aibo is a place holder product or its only for a specific audience for people like myself that just think its cool and are interested in collecting robotics

  8. Sir Jon Smith III

    October 12, 2021 at 2:46 pm

    For some reason, as a male, I am very interested in robots evolving to a certain point. 😉

    • --

      October 12, 2021 at 10:50 pm

      Indeed, male robots with satisfying anatomy can’t come soon enough 😉

  9. The Layman

    October 12, 2021 at 2:59 pm

    The rise of Skynet! 😰😰

  10. Jake PK Rio

    October 12, 2021 at 3:00 pm

    I feel bad for the japanese who everybody expects to be the 1st to market a real practical robot for the home. They’ve been leading the world in this dream for decades and they got the oldest population that need this, it just makes sense.

    Still, not that impressed with this tablet on wheels whose main function is just to be a mobile “Ring” which can easily be served by just a few more cams in your house without the wait. Follow you around on your video call? Jezuz, hold your own damn phone. Satisfactory start though. Waiting for the basic home robot that’ll dust my furniture and maybe even roll the trash out- that’ll be killer. Just look at the vacuum robot.

    • Coolyfett

      October 12, 2021 at 8:34 pm

      You feel bad for Japan? Lol

  11. Danner Banks

    October 12, 2021 at 3:13 pm

    I’m ready for robots as well, but Astro ain’t it. The Ring Drone is superior when discussing security, and everything else is not useful.

    • Coolyfett

      October 12, 2021 at 8:43 pm

      The market needs competition so the creme can rise. If Amazon goes alone, I don’t see Robots taking off. Once there are 4-5 Robots battling it out & we start comparing robots, that were we need to get to. Astronauts needs a rival.

  12. THEIRISHAXE

    October 12, 2021 at 3:17 pm

    No thanks. Amazon is already far enough up my ass

  13. Ricky Peacock

    October 12, 2021 at 3:54 pm

    Medical supervision/data collection + connection to health services. Notification to emergency services.

  14. JDD Plays

    October 12, 2021 at 4:03 pm

    No rosie, No Astro! Not if they rely on the cloud!

    • Blood Angel

      October 14, 2021 at 12:27 pm

      People seem concerned about privacy, but the real problem is once the cloud goes down, the robot then becomes an expensive ornament that no longer functions.

    • JDD Plays

      October 14, 2021 at 12:33 pm

      @Blood Angel not if they program offline commands and functions, with on board AI and Machine Learning capabilities. I mean, this will be far far in the future.

  15. Michael Arnold

    October 12, 2021 at 5:15 pm

    Sorry but $1000 is to much

    • Coolyfett

      October 12, 2021 at 9:00 pm

      People buy cell phones everyday for $1000. CD, DVD & B!u Ray players were all “too much” when first released.

  16. SAMUEL YURI

    October 12, 2021 at 5:31 pm

    I think Tesla Bot is going to be better because it looks more like a human. Then all it will need to do is to keep learning and developing to new versions so we can get more of it.

    • Coolyfett

      October 12, 2021 at 8:33 pm

      When is the release date?

    • SAMUEL YURI

      October 13, 2021 at 1:49 am

      @Coolyfett It seems that the Tesla Bot is coming next year.

    • Coolyfett

      October 14, 2021 at 12:03 pm

      @SAMUEL YURI Seems?

    • SAMUEL YURI

      October 14, 2021 at 3:26 pm

      @Coolyfett you can verify that on the videos about the Tesla Bot in the youtube, to make sure.

  17. Michael Noble

    October 12, 2021 at 6:33 pm

    ASTRO will need arms to do things like laundry for example, a way to get on the stairs, and defend itself on an intruder. Also weather proof.

    • Coolyfett

      October 12, 2021 at 8:31 pm

      Its all a process. Ford & Honda didn’t build the Auto industry, it took many companies and
      years of products. Ask yourself how many cars, Gaming systems, phones, audio players & computers you have owned in your life? Home robots will join that list.

  18. Coolyfett

    October 12, 2021 at 8:24 pm

    I think the home robot thing is inevitable, we just need solid competition in the space. There is a loud minority that hates Amazon & their success with Alexa, but have no complaints about Siri, who came first. Other home robots have come before Astro, but because its Amazon people worry. Had it been a robot from Apple or Tesla, the fear would be less.

    • segraffiti :/

      October 12, 2021 at 10:52 pm

      i think its different esp since siri can handle most of the things it does locally vs Alexa which needs a constant internet connection. But personally i wouldn’t want a robot patrolling my home with 360 video no matter the company. Most ppl wouldn’t want the same robot as Astro from Apple or Tesla anyways

    • Coolyfett

      October 14, 2021 at 12:11 pm

      @segraffiti :/ You think so? People just want products that work. And all this privacy business is stupid. Any full grown adults that pays utilities, credit card bills, mortgagerent, & loans. The “people” everyone thinks they are hiding from already knows who we are and where to find us. As many things that people upload online themselves. My answer to that is dont be a criminal & put things out of site you dont want seen. I know if this robot came from Apple it would be welcomed with open arms. Right now it basically just a toy, but these things evolve.

    • segraffiti :/

      October 14, 2021 at 10:23 pm

      ​@Coolyfett there is a difference between purposefully uploading photos/ information online & having a robot doing it automatically. This is literally a robot that collects your data and sends it straight to Amazon. Not to mention the possibility of a leak and a whole map of your home is posted online, or the risk of a hack to your specific robot which allows someone to stream a 360 video of your home. People had a bad reaction when Amazon unveiled their Echo Look but now ppl should be even warier considering this is literally a mobile camera in your home connected to the internet 24/7. If people are still wanting to buy it then they should at least be told what data this machine sends to Amazon & detailed reasons for everything. Eventually when the technology matures then it will be a better option but I do believe the majority of consumers won’t want any data about their home stored on Amazon’s servers unless it’s just a private video & photo storage option.

  19. Noah Murphy

    October 12, 2021 at 8:36 pm

    I’m surprised him didn’t talk about Tesla humanoid robot 😩

    • Coolyfett

      October 12, 2021 at 8:45 pm

      What’s the release date?

    • Noah Murphy

      October 13, 2021 at 12:01 am

      @Coolyfett no release date 😂 but a working prototype in 2022 but if I had to guess when it’s Available to buy probably by 2025-2027 around that time

    • Coolyfett

      October 14, 2021 at 12:03 pm

      @Noah Murphy Astro comes out this year.

  20. Coolyfett

    October 12, 2021 at 9:07 pm

    I remember when Siri first came out. Only iPhone users had it, tried it and it wasn’t that great & didn’t DO much. Then Alexa & Google Assistant came & Siri is now better than it was. Astro needs competition. Once 3-5 big companies try it will blowup.

  21. Dom Larry

    October 12, 2021 at 9:56 pm

    gimmick does beans

  22. Clay Mann

    October 12, 2021 at 10:32 pm

    I’ve wanted robots all my life. Growing up the only thing we really had was a robot arm that was extremely basic and the look and just idea of it really was its best feature. Actually owning robots is a bit of a let down and sci-fi really doesn’t help showing astromechs and near perfect human like androids. Our expectations are so sky high that the reality is always going to be a big let down.

    I am a big fan of Astro, not because of what it does but because of how we need any robot that isn’t a vacuum cleaner to be successful. It will lead to Astro 2 that does more. Other companies might feel more confident to step in as public perception becomes a little more open to them. So its an important product but one that may never see a wide release and I suspect it will be forgotten before it ever catches on.

  23. Lan Oktobre

    October 13, 2021 at 2:01 am

    they’re only for RICH PEOPLE

  24. impendio

    October 13, 2021 at 12:33 pm

    Astro is not a helper robot, it literally can’t do anything by itself, it’s just an echo on wheels…

  25. Scott R

    October 14, 2021 at 6:43 am

    Ha! That was not the droid you were searching for…

  26. Julian Ryan

    October 14, 2021 at 11:01 pm

    If you have Facebook, an Apple account, a Google account, and an Amazon account….it’s already game over.

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