Amazon's new home robot guards the house like a dog

Amazon has announced more than a dozen new gadgets, including a rolling home robot called Astro, which, as well as playing music and answering your questions, also guards the house like a busy dog. 

Yesterday announced Amazon Astro is the company's first robot designed specifically for home use. Astro can't cook or clean, but it can warn you if you've left the cooker on and alert you if someone has entered the house.

The robot on wheels is equipped with various sensors, a camera, a microphone and a large screen, and even has the company's digital assistant, Alexa. The robot also has its own artificial intelligence, so it can perform certain tasks on its own and because it recognises and avoids objects in front of it, you can also move around the apartment safely.

Because the robot is compatible with the Ring security system, if it detects an unusual event (such as glass breaking or a carbon monoxide/smoke alarm), it can record the event in the Ring account. The head of the gadget also has a retractable periscope camera, which can be useful if you want to check if the owner has left the hob on after leaving home.

The Amazon Astro is scheduled to be launched later this year and will be available for around $1000, or roughly 310,000 forints.