Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO (Image credit : Business Insider)
According to Amazon internal documents obtained by Insider, the business now believes it has discovered the solution to Astro’s potential. Burnham is a top-secret AI robot project that Amazon is working on, according to the documents, adding “intelligence and a conversational spoken interface” to a smart home robot, according to Insider.
Large language models and other cutting-edge AI may be used by an improved Burnham-powered Astro to transform it into a home robot that comprehends the context of a busy household and reacts appropriately. The docs, according to Insider, show that the technology “remembers what it saw and understood” and that the robot can “engage in a Q&A dialogue on what it saw” and employ AI powered by LLMs to act on it.
For instance, according to the docs, an Astro product employing Burnham can locate a stove that has been left on or a tap that has been left running, determine the owner, and inform them. If there is an emergency, it might check on someone who has fallen and dial 911. According to the docs, it might assist you in finding your keys, check to see if a window was left open over night and keep track of if kids have friends over after school. All of these things are somewhat possible with current smart home technology, but they involve more steps, tools, and actions than just using Astro.
The most intriguing development is that Amazon seems to be experimenting with starting increasingly difficult projects. A robot that notices broken glass on the floor, recognizes that it poses a threat, and prioritizes sweeping it up before someone steps on it was used as an example. In other words, the robot can identify issues and maybe provide solutions.
This “Contextual Understanding,” as Amazon refers to the technology in the documents, is their “latest and most advanced AI technology designed to make robots more intelligent, more useful, and more conversational.” Hence, Rosie the Robot in essence (minus the arms).
Burnham won’t be coming to a robot near you, though, any time soon. Amazon admits in the docs that there is still much work to be done before Burnham can be incorporated into a product. Additionally, the current, less-than-smart Astro is still only available with an invite; its price has just increased to $1,600; and according to Insider, Amazon abandoned plans to develop a less-expensive model.
Also read : Google rolled out its AI Features for Gmail, Docs, and more
A home robot as capable as Rosie is still merely a fictional character in science fiction, despite the tech industry’s fast embrace of generative AI by organizations like Amazon.
Despite Amazon’s claim that “Our robot has a strong body,” in one document. The phrase “What we need next is a brain” makes me reevaluate how much I truly want an AI-powered, intelligent robot to prowl around my house..
