In 2017, Jeff Bezos placed a bet on the home robotics track, pushing an Amazon team to develop it, ultimately launching the wheeled robot Astro in autumn 2021 (equipped with Alexa, capable of autonomous home navigation, facial recognition, and mobile security), priced at $1,450.
The product was long available only by invitation, with just a small number delivered; after an enterprise edition launched in 2023, it too was shut down within a year, and the project went cold.
After reviewing job postings, media found that over the past several months, Amazon.com (AMZN) has assembled a brand-new team to develop a "brand-new category of robotic product." A now-removed engineer job posting read: "Robots are about to step out of movie scenes and into millions of homes." The job description mentioned that this product can autonomously navigate in dynamically changing home environments, coexisting and operating collaboratively with family members.
Amazon has always been willing to make long-term bets, accepting being misunderstood in the short term in order to seize first-mover advantage in new tracks. Alexa voice assistant and Kindle e-reader are typical examples.
CEO Andy Jassy reiterated this approach in his latest annual shareholder letter, calling AI and robotics "one of the biggest inflection points of change in our lifetime." Jassy wrote: "We work hard to anticipate what products can continuously improve and simplify users' lives and create the next transformative product."
Analysts are also bullish on the future growth of the humanoid robot market. A January research report by Barclays predicted: the current global humanoid robot market is only $2–3 billion, and by 2035 it could reach about $40 billion; in the most optimistic scenario, it could reach up to $200 billion.
LinkedIn profiles show that earlier this year, Amazon pulled a large number of people from the original Astro team and also brought in an MIT robotics expert to lead the home robotics project.
Amazon also doubled down on the project through a major acquisition. It is still unclear what type of home robot this team is developing and what functions it can achieve.
However, a June job posting revealed that the team's goal is to build "a robot that is not only practical but also brings delight." Amazon may adapt Fauna's robotics approach for home or commercial scenarios. The Sprout humanoid robot is designed to be friendly and practically capable, with signature yellow eyebrows that can express emotions, and is currently mainly aimed at developers, commercial and academic researchers.
In October, Amazon posted a job opening for a field support engineer responsible for customer support and on-site repairs; another posting sought a user experience designer to define "what it's like to live with a Fauna robot." The job text read: "Our goal is simple: to build robots that people are willing to use and interact with in everyday home spaces."
Amazon spokesperson Brad Glasser told media that the acquisition of Fauna is because Amazon is determined to tackle key challenges and open up the personal robotics track. "We believe in a future where personal robots genuinely help people in daily life, and Amazon wants to play an important role in realizing that vision," Glasser said. He mentioned that there is still a huge gap between technological capabilities in controlled lab environments and real scenarios such as living rooms and lobbies. Amazon is working with peers in the robotics industry to tackle these challenges.
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