Amazon’s Astro robot will be exclusively for homes: it will no longer monitor businesses

Amazon has announced that the version of its Astro robot aimed at businesses (Astro for Business) will no longer be available as of September 25, when it will begin to reimburse the amount invested in these devices to these organizations, although it will maintain the domestic version of the device.

Amazon Astro is a device that the company presented in September 2021 and with which it sought to “make life easier” for users, by combining Alexa with a computer vision system in a device oriented to functions such as caring for dependent people or pets.

Although it was initially aimed at the home, about a year ago it announced that it would also be brought to companies in the United States, where it was put on sale for $2,349.99 (about 2,175.83 euros, at the current exchange rate) to monitor warehouses or tour facilities.

The company has now said, however, that Astro will no longer be available to organizations – Astro for Business – and will instead be used exclusively at home starting September 25. At that point, its robots, which can no longer be purchased, will stop working and all personal data will be deleted from the devices, The Verge has learned from a statement seen by The Verge.

Due to this end of support, Amazon will automatically issue full refunds for the robot, as well as an additional $300 credit (about €278) added to their accounts on the platform. It will also stop charging for subscriptions to the Astro Secure service.

The firm has acknowledged that this discontinuation is due to the fact that it is currently committed to “bringing world-class consumer robotics solutions to the home” and has suggested that it is working on new functionalities for the robot.