Amazon’s Astro Robot Is Crazy, Creepy and Fun

PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY Senior Personal Tech Columnist Joanna Stern reviews Amazon’s $1,000 roving at-home helper By Joanna Stern April 24, 2022 Tap story

This browser does not support the video element. Astro moved in with my family (two kids, two moms, one dog) for a couple of weeks. You can’t buy it—at least not until Amazon permits you. But you probably wouldn’t want to buy it. At least not yet. { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-slide .wsj--animation-wrapper", "duration": "1s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"transform": "translateY(10px)","opacity":"0"}, {"transform": "translateY(0)","opacity":"1"} ] }

This browser does not support the video element. The three-wheeled bot’s sensors allow it to navigate the house—or one floor of it anyway. Its microphones are always listening for “Astro” so you can command it to do various things, including deliver stuff to different rooms . { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-slide .wsj--animation-wrapper", "duration": "1s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"transform": "translateY(10px)","opacity":"0"}, {"transform": "translateY(0)","opacity":"1"} ] }

Its cameras, including two on its baseball-bat-length periscope , let you keep an eye on your home while you’re away. Its 10-inch screen is for Astro’s big, expressive eyes, plus some basic tablety things. { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-fade", "duration": "2s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"opacity": "0"}, { "opacity": "1"} ] }

My adventures with Astro, in its earliest days, showed me a world where computers can be relatable, proactive helpers. If only it knew how to help, or when to get out of the darn way. { "selector": ".wsj--ani-media-pan", "duration": "10s", "easing": "ease-out", "fill": "forwards", "keyframes": [ {"transform": "translateX(-15px) scale(1.1)"}, {"transform": "translateX(15px) scale(1.1) "} ] } { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-slide .wsj--animation-wrapper", "duration": "1s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"transform": "translateY(10px)","opacity":"0"}, {"transform": "translateY(0)","opacity":"1"} ] }

This browser does not support the video element. The delivery feature is certainly fun, but I wouldn’t call it helpful . Astro lacks arms, so someone needs to grab the cargo. In the time it takes me to call Astro to the kitchen and ask it to deliver something, I could have done it myself. { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-slide .wsj--animation-wrapper", "duration": "1s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"transform": "translateY(10px)","opacity":"0"}, {"transform": "translateY(0)","opacity":"1"} ] }

This browser does not support the video element. Astro uses artificial intelligence to go to spaces where it thinks it will be useful. Astro decided around Day 2 that the kitchen would be the place. My family sent it back to the charging station over 70 times in two weeks . { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-slide .wsj--animation-wrapper", "duration": "1s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"transform": "translateY(10px)","opacity":"0"}, {"transform": "translateY(0)","opacity":"1"} ] }

You can turn off this Hangout feature. (I didn’t because I enjoy torturing my family.) An Amazon spokeswoman told me that the robot should get smarter over time, and that the company is looking to improve the feature. { "selector": ".wsj--ani-media-pan", "duration": "10s", "easing": "ease-out", "fill": "forwards", "keyframes": [ {"transform": "translateX(-15px) scale(1.1)"}, {"transform": "translateX(15px) scale(1.1) "} ] } { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-slide .wsj--animation-wrapper", "duration": "1s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"transform": "translateY(10px)","opacity":"0"}, {"transform": "translateY(0)","opacity":"1"} ] }

This browser does not support the video element. When you put Astro in Away mode, it remains in its charging station but stays on the lookout for unusual activity. To test this, I donned a face mask and “broke in.” Astro was quick to spot me and send an alert to my phone. { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-slide .wsj--animation-wrapper", "duration": "1s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"transform": "translateY(10px)","opacity":"0"}, {"transform": "translateY(0)","opacity":"1"} ] }

My kids are obsessed with Astro. The baby already knows Astro by name because it plays his favorite music. The 4-year-old wants to do everything with it—watch shows and movies on Amazon Prime, play Freeze Dance and learn about different animals. { "selector": ".wsj--ani-media-pan", "duration": "10s", "easing": "ease-out", "fill": "forwards", "keyframes": [ {"transform": "translateX(-15px) scale(1.1)"}, {"transform": "translateX(15px) scale(1.1) "} ] } { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-slide .wsj--animation-wrapper", "duration": "1s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"transform": "translateY(10px)","opacity":"0"}, {"transform": "translateY(0)","opacity":"1"} ] }

This browser does not support the video element. I've used the Live View from the cameras to check in on the 4-year-old while I’m putting the baby down for a nap upstairs. I wouldn’t actually ever let Astro “babysit,” but Amazon does see remote care as a real use.

After Astro detects its wake word, what you say might be recorded and sent to the cloud. (A blue light on its periscope indicates it’s listening.) These recordings are saved, but you can use the Alexa app to delete them . { "selector": ".wsj--ani-media-pan", "duration": "10s", "easing": "ease-out", "fill": "forwards", "keyframes": [ {"transform": "translateX(-15px) scale(1.1)"}, {"transform": "translateX(15px) scale(1.1) "} ] } { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-slide .wsj--animation-wrapper", "duration": "1s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"transform": "translateY(10px)","opacity":"0"}, {"transform": "translateY(0)","opacity":"1"} ] }

For facial recognition, Astro takes images and creates a numeric representation. This data is stored on the device, not the cloud. You can delete it by disabling the feature. { "selector": ".wsj--ani-media-zoom", "duration": "3s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"transform": "scale(1.03)"}, {"transform": "scale(1)"} ] } { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-slide .wsj--animation-wrapper", "duration": "1s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"transform": "translateY(10px)","opacity":"0"}, {"transform": "translateY(0)","opacity":"1"} ] }

This browser does not support the video element. We’ve been told our entire lives that home robots will one day help us, and Astro’s technical abilities wowed me. But here in my home, I still don’t have a clue what it’s for. { "selector": ".wsj--ani-text-slide .wsj--animation-wrapper", "duration": "1s", "easing": "ease-out", "keyframes": [ {"transform": "translateY(10px)","opacity":"0"}, {"transform": "translateY(0)","opacity":"1"} ] } See the full review

Produced by Brian Patrick Byrne Photos/Video: Kenny Wassus, Gabby Jones for The Wall Street Journal, Amazon/Reuters, Amazon/AFP/Getty Images See the full review