Amazon to wind down its Astro for Business security robot

(Reuters) -Amazon.com said on Wednesday it would discontinue its security robot, Astro for Business, for small- and medium-sized businesses as it shifts its focus to household robots.

The e-commerce giant initially launched the canine-like robot for household use in 2021. Astro for Business was launched last November for a range of customers including retail, manufacturing, health and wellness.

"To accelerate our progress and ongoing research to make Astro the best in-home robot, we've made the decision to wind down support for Astro for Business," an Amazon spokesperson told Reuters in an emailed statement.

The home robot was designed to take up tasks such as home monitoring, setting up routines and reminders and play music and TV shows while rolling around the house.

The Astro for Business robot, priced at $2,349.99, was available exclusively in the U.S. and was introduced to help customers in monitoring their business round the clock.

The Astro for Business robots will not be functional from Sept. 25, according to an email sent by the company to customers and seen by Reuters.

Amazon has announced credit of $300, which can be used by affected customers to support a replacement solution for the workplace.

Customers will also not be charged Astro Secure subscription fee starting Wednesday and would be refunded the unused pre-paid fees.

(Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru and Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Alan Barona and Mohammed Safi Shamsi)