Amazon could launch Alexa MICROWAVE and seven other wacky voice-controlled gadgets
AMAZON is plotting eight new Alexa-powered gadgets – including a smart microwave that you can speak to.
That's according to a new report that claims Amazon is preparing to release a host of smart home devices before 2018 is over.
Unlike slowed-paced rivals like Apple and Google, Amazon has wasted no time releasing Echo products powered by the Alexa virtual assistant..
Amazon already offers seven different Echo devices, ranging from the dinky Echo Dot speaker to the large Echo Show smart screen.
Now a report by says Amazon is nearly ready to unveil eight more Alexa gadgets.
These supposedly include a microwave oven, an amplifier, a receiver, a subwoofer, and an unspecified in-car gadget.
The details aren't official yet – instead, they come from a leaked internal document "describing the plans".
According to the report, all eight of the devices will "have Alexa built-in".
That's Amazon's virtual assistant, a voice-controlled helper that can tell you about the news, weather, and even order a pizza for you.
These new gadgets are tipped to go on show at a special Amazon event "later this month".
What is Alexa?
If you've never heard of Alexa, here's what you need to know...
- Alexa is an "intelligent" personal assistant built by Amazon.
- You can find her on several different devices, including Amazon's Echo speakers.
- Alexa responds to voice commands, and can talk back to you.
- She can perform thousands of different tasks, including telling you about the news or weather.
- But she can do more complex things too, like ordering a pizza or arranging an Uber taxi pick-up.
- To activate Alexa, you need to say "Alexa" to an Amazon Echo speaker.
- Alexa currently only works in English and German languages.
- Because she's powered by artificial intelligence, Alexa is constantly getting smarter.
- Alexa will also get more used to your voice, and better understand what you want her to do over time.
Details about the new devices are light, so it's hard to say how they'll look.
Amazon already sells plenty of kitchen appliances, so making its own microwave oven isn't too crazy an idea.
Similarly, fitting out a microwave with Alexa is a great way to get the digital helper into the kitchen – where it can set timers, or provide recipe advice.
Amazon rival Sonos already offers Alexa-powered amplifiers and subwoofers, so creating its own versions of those isn't a big stretch.
And we've already seen Alexa in the car – the Logitech ZeroTouch is a vent-mounted fob that lets you use Amazon's helper on the road.
Building an Amazon-branded version of this would be a smart move, as it would mean Amazon could hook you at home, in the office, and even in your car.
Earlier this year, Amazon was also rumoured to be working on a "mobile Alexa" robot that would move around your home like a self-driving car.
The so-called Vesta droid was tipped by Bloomberg for a 2019 launch.
Vesta is the virgin goddess of hearth, home and family in Roman religion, so it's not a bad codename.
The robot droid is supposedly being overseen by Gregg Zehr.
Gregg heads up Amazon's secretive Lab126 hardware research and development division in California.
The team was responsible for the Amazon Echo, a voice-controlled smart speaker that features the Alexa digital assistant.
Amazon is believed to have conjured up Vesta "a few years ago", but has now began to "aggressively ramp up hiring".
The company's Lab126 jobs page has dozens of robot-related listings, including "Software Engineer, Robotics" and "Principle Sensors Engineer".
Bloomberg's report says that Amazon wants to get robots into employee homes by the end of the year.
It adds that Amazon is looking at a launch for the general public "as early as 2019, though the timeline could change".
It's also possible that the project is killed completely before any product is ever launched.
There's no detail on what exactly Amazon's bot would do – but Bloomberg does list some speculations from people familiar with the project.
"The Vesta could be a sort of mobile Alexa, accompanying customers in parts of their home where they don't have Echo devices," the report reads.
"Prototypes of the robots have advanced cameras and computer vision software, and can navigate through homes like a self-driving car."
We've asked Amazon for comment and will update this story with any response.
Which home appliances would you like to see get an Alexa upgrade? Let us know in the comments!
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