Amazon is bricking its Astro business robots less than a year after launch
Amazon discontinues Astro for Business robots, offering refunds and $300 credit. Shift towards home robotics leads to program end. Workers transition to home robot development. Existing customers encouraged to recycle devices.
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Amazon is discontinuing its Astro for Business robots less than a year after their launch. The 20-pound wheeled robots will stop working on September 25th, with full refunds and a $300 credit being issued to customers. Amazon's VP of hardware engineering stated a shift towards focusing on home robotics, leading to the decision to end the business robot program. Existing customers will receive refunds and an invite to try the Astro for Home robot. The Astro for Business devices will cease functioning, and customers are encouraged to recycle them through Amazon's program. Amazon assures that no workers will be laid off due to this pivot, as they will transition to working on home robots instead. The move aims to concentrate resources on developing consumer robotics products for the home, hinting at a potential successor to the Astro for Home robot in the future.
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