Amazon Builds New Home Robot Team After Astro Stalled in Beta

Amazon (AMZN) has formed a new home robot team and is hiring for what it calls a new-to-world robot product, according to a CNBC analysis of job posts published Nov. 8. The move renews the company's push into consumer robotics after its Astro device never made it out of beta.

Amazon's first attempt came in 2021, when it unveiled Astro, a $1,450 Alexa-equipped robot on wheels that could navigate a home, recognize faces and act as a roving security monitor. Astro shipped to just a few thousand invite-only customers, and an Astro for businesses released in 2023 was sunset less than a year later. Over the past several months, Amazon has assembled a new team to try again.

A recent job listing for an engineer, since removed, described a product capable of navigating dynamic home environments and autonomous operation alongside family members. Amazon is known for long-term bets at the risk of being misunderstood in the short term, and chief executive Andy Jassy has said artificial intelligence and robotics are among the biggest inflections of our lifetime.

The timing reflects a broader shift. Advances in AI and robotics have kickstarted a new wave of humanoid development, and analysts expect the market to grow. Barclays forecast in a January report that the global humanoid market, valued at $2 billion to $3 billion, could reach roughly $40 billion by 2035, or as high as $200 billion under the most optimistic scenarios.

Amazon is not alone in the field. Agility Robotics began trading on the Nasdaq as AGLT on Nov. 6 as the first pure-play humanoid robot maker, and other tech firms are building AI-driven machines. For Amazon, the question is whether a second attempt can avoid Astro's fate and reach a mass audience.

Amazon shares were down 0.35% in delayed trading. The company has not announced a launch date or product details.