The author | fanfan
Source| Jiguo Editorial Department
When my generation was a child, we all fantasized about having a small robot housekeeper at home, and let it be done with dirty work at home, so that they could completely free their hands.
It now appears that this wish is expected to become a reality. In September 2021, Amazon released ten new smart products at the hardware launch, the most notable of which was the home robot known as "Astro". #数码科技趣闻 #
The robot relies on wheels to move, can mainly undertake tasks such as home monitoring and reminders, and can also play music and TV programs, which is called a "decathlon" butler!
It sounds weird, so that when it was just released, many foreign netizens wanted to pocket it and study it well.
Unfortunately, only a small number of invitees were able to buy Astro, and the price was expensive, initially selling for $999.99 (about 6501 yuan), and later soaring all the way to $1450 (about 9427 yuan). So, it's still a rich man's toy.
A few days ago, some foreign netizens published an unboxing video, so that everyone saw this magical little guy ~
Although we ordinary workers are not blessed, the "cloud experience" can also be dripped.
The Astro is 60 centimeters tall and weighs 9 kilograms, about the size of a small pet dog, and the overall shape is cute, much like Alexa with wheels.
It mainly consists of a "face" with a movable base and a 10-inch display.
There is a pair of large round eyes in the center of the display, and when performing tasks, the eyes will be open or closed, thus showing some emotions, which is very simulated.
However, the eyes here are only used to sell cute drops~
The "eyes" that Astro really uses for work are actually a 5-megapixel video call camera mounted on the bottom of the device with various sensors and bezels. Other navigation devices are located in its belly.
When walking, the main driving wheel is mainly moved by the main driving wheel with a diameter of about 30 cm, in addition, a single castor wheel is equipped behind the body to maintain balance.
The Astro can glide in any direction 360° and move from room to room with a maximum speed of 1 meter per second.
This, combined with the help of cameras and sensors, allows it to pass smoothly across sills and carpets without getting stuck or hitting walls.
It should be noted here that Astro cannot automatically avoid moving objects for the time being, so it is necessary to ensure that there are no children or pets running around in the home when working.
It supports voice control, and when connected using a mobile phone, you can communicate with the owner.
If you want, you can also use it to play music, make calls, send messages, etc., and use it to listen to a song in your leisure time, and even save the family stereo
In addition to daily patrols and entertainment, Astro can also be a small housekeeper who helps the host with some simple household chores.
Combined with artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies, Astro can "watch the home" when no one is at home, using cameras to monitor every move in the home.
Especially shovelers, who are not at home one day, can use it to check the status of their pets in real time.
Because the Astro works on the ground, in order to better monitor objects at height, it is also equipped with a mast that can rise to a height of more than 1 meter, and the mast is topped with a 12-megapixel periscope camera. At this point, it can be said that there is no dead angle in the detection.
But there is a problem here, after prolonged use, dust and moisture in the air will cover the surface of the mast, causing it to jam due to corrosion or blockage. After the mast card dies, the periscope camera will not work, and The Astro will not be able to monitor and detect in real time.
If the user forgets to retract the mast, during the movement, the mast is prone to hitting objects at a height, at risk of impact and dumping.
In addition to being a housekeeper, you can also instruct it to run errands.
The Back of the Astro is equipped with a detachable storage box, and through the visual ID, things can be delivered to someone designated in the home, which can transport about 2 kilograms of items. When you're lying on the couch watching TV and thirsty, you can let it run errands, send a snack, a drink or something
At first glance, it sounds very good, but rationally think about it, in fact, this function is slightly chicken.
Astro does not design a manipulator, when transporting items, someone must take the items and put them in the storage box and issue an order for Astro to transport the items to the designated place; then, Astro can not take the items out and hand them to the user, but ask the user to pick them up.
The whole process will be much more troublesome than the user himself, and it is estimated that most people will not often use it to transport items once the freshness has passed.
The Astro's security aspect seems to be more useful than running errands.
Thanks to the integrated security alert system, The Astro can act as a home security robot that captures video clips of the event when the owner is not at home and sends it to the owner's phone. If someone you don't know breaks into the house, it will automatically call the police to remind the owner that there may be a thief
Not only that, but if the glass in the home is broken and there is a dog barking outside the door, Astro can detect and sound the alarm. Oh, and it can also go to the kitchen to check the gas stove and send an alarm to alert the owner if you forget to turn off the fire.
In this way, astro will have a lot of skills, but... Nor is it a panacea.
Due to the defective facial recognition system, it cannot climb the stairs by itself, as long as it is close to the stairs, it will "get lost" and is prone to the danger of falling down the stairs.
Another problem is that Amazon doesn't equip Astro with smart arms, so it may not be very good at doing housework. Of course, to achieve these operations, more powerful object recognition capabilities are also needed, as well as the ability to grasp everyday objects. Unfortunately, Astro can't do it yet
Imagine if in the future Astro could sort out scattered toys or clothes, it would really be a lot of burden for the owner.
Finally, everyone cares about privacy and security. After all, the smarter the machine, the more user information it is required to collect, and the greater the risk of privacy leakage.
Fortunately, the use of Astro is very rigorous, and the user must be scanned multiple times to identify the user's identity before effective video interaction can be carried out. In addition, users can set "out of bounds" areas that Astro does not patrol, such as prohibiting access to certain rooms.
Astro is used after charging, the charging time is about 45 minutes, it can be used for about 2 hours after full charge, and it will automatically return to the charging position to charge itself every time it is detected that it is almost out of power.
How to say it, the battery life is not too long, and it is a little troublesome to charge back and forth when working.
However, the biggest drawback is probably the price.
Some people may say that Xiaomi's iron egg also wants this price. Having said that, as a home robot, There are not many things that Astro can do at present, to put it badly, it is like a smart speaker mounted on a wheel, but it has more functions such as autonomous walking and real-time monitoring, and it is not very smart. After all, in the eyes of many people, being able to share housework is the greatest use...
However, there are still many people who praise its design, thinking that it is very cute and practical.
So, if it were you, would you be willing to pay to buy such a little robot to go home?