Amazon’s secret home robot Vesta is reportedly in the ‘late-prototype stage’ of development

Amazon claims to have reached the “late-prototype stage” in the construction of its secret home robot, named Vesta, claims New report from Insider. According to the publication, the development of the device has been going on for almost four years and now more than 800 employees are working on it. If the robot launches, it will be one of Amazon’s biggest and most ambitious new products in the mold of the Echo, Kindle and Fire phones.

Indeed, it is a comparison of the latter device, Amazon’s failed smartphone project, which concerns some of the people involved in the development of Vesta. “People are very skeptical – we are worried that it may turn into another fire phone,” cited one of the six unnamed sources Insider Told the publication as “directly involved in the project”.

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Reporter Door

As with any undisclosed instrument of this scale, there is an abundance of unanswered questions and uncertain details. The basic premise, however, is that Vesta will be an Amazon Echo on wheels: a voice-activated assistant that can navigate your home, respond to your orders, and interface with other smart home appliances.

InsiderThe report includes a number of intriguing and speculative details, suggesting that the device is the size of “two little cats” – about 10 to 13 inches wide (your conversion may vary depending on your cats). The robot will reportedly be equipped with a screen, microphone and several cameras. Additional features may include sensors to monitor temperature, humidity, and air quality; A “small compartment” for carrying items; And “waist-high retractable pole with a camera”, which can be combined with machine vision technology to help users find items around their home, such as keys and purses.

Vesta, named after the Roman goddess of the hearth, shows Amazon’s ongoing drive to embed its products in customers’ homes. Over the years, the company has launched a number of devices, attempting to expand its reach from closed dash stands to kitchens and bedrooms, allowing users to always order grocery products by scanning barcodes on home cams Permission granted, a mini-drone was announced. Last year by Amazon-owned Ring which provides mobile surveillance around the house.

Insider Amazon says Amazon is developing Vesta as a “top priority”, but initial sales estimates are modest. “Amazon may initially launch it as a limited invite-only product, which these people did with their fitness band Halo,” according to the publication. This may prevent the company from wandering resources on unsold-inventory. Even mobile robots will not sell themselves.