Bloomberg refers to it as Amazon’s “top-secret plan,” but it looks like the secret is out: The online commerce giant is working on putting robots in the home, with testing to begin later this year.
This isn’t just another Roomba. The project, code-named “Vesta,” sounds more like Rosie from the 1960s TV series “The Jetsons” — a domestic bot named for the Roman goddess of hearth, home and family.
Admittedly, details are scant; the robot could be sort of a mobile Alexa, navigating customers’ homes using the advanced cameras and computer-vision software seen in prototypes. Or perhaps it could be more, offering companionship as well as the ability to perform basic chores.
Bloomberg notes recently ramped-up job listings for Lab126, Amazon’s hardware R&D division where the project is based. According to people briefed on the plan, Bloomberg says, the company hopes to start seeding the robots in employee’s homes by the end of 2018 — but that timeline could change and, of course, the entire project could be terminated before it ever sees the light of day.
A spokesperson for Amazon says the company doesn’t comment on “rumors and speculation.” But it’s kind of fun to hold onto them all the same.
