Amazon appears to have reached the “late-prototype stage” in the creation of its secretive home robot codenamed Vesta, claims a new report from Insider. The device has been under development for around four years and now has more than 800 employees working on it, says the publication. 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 Phone.
Indeed, it’s comparisons to the latter device, Amazon’s failed smartphone project, that seems to be concerning some of those involved in Vesta’s development. “People are very skeptical — we’re worried it could turn into another Fire Phone,” one of six anonymous sources cited by Insider as “directly involved in the project” told the publication.
As with any unannounced device of this scale, there is an abundance of unanswered questions and uncertain details. The basic premise, though, is that Vesta will be an Amazon Echo on wheels: a voice-activated assistant that can navigate your home, respond to your commands, and interface with other smart home devices.
Source: The Verge
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