In 2017, Jeff Bezos made a bold bet on robots with the launch of Astro that it rolled on stage for the first time in 2021, but the company shut down the unit two years ago; now Amazon has assembled a new team that is working on a robot for …

Amazon is making another attempt to bring robots into people’s homes, years after its Astro robot struggled to gain traction. The company has assembled a new team to work on a “new-to-world robot product,” according to a CNBC analysis of job postings, signalling that Jeff Bezos’ vision of household robots may not be over. For those unaware, Amazon first began exploring the idea in 2017, when Jeff Bezos, then the company’s CEO, directed a team of device executives to build a robot for consumers. The effort led to Astro, a $1,450 Alexa-equipped robot that made its public debut at Amazon’s September 2021 event. It could move autonomously around a home, recognise faces and serve as a mobile security monitor.However, Astro never became a widely available consumer product. It was sold to only a few thousand customers through an invite-only programme. Amazon also introduced a business version of Astro in 2023, but discontinued it less than a year later.Amazon’s new robot project said to be more ambitiousOver the past several months, Amazon has reportedly redeployed much of the team that worked on Astro and brought in an MIT roboticist for its new home robotics effort, according to LinkedIn profiles reviewed by CNBC. Job postings offer a glimpse into what the company may be developing. One engineering listing, which has since been removed, described a robot designed to navigate “dynamic home environments” and operate autonomously alongside family members.In March, Amazon acquired New York-based Fauna Robotics, the company behind Sprout, a 3.5-foot-tall humanoid robot. Fauna became part of Amazon’s newly formed Personal Robotics Group.The group includes employees who previously worked at Lab126, Amazon’s research and development unit responsible for products such as Kindle, Echo, Fire TV and Fire Tablet. A June job posting also hinted at the company’s ambitions, saying it wanted to “create robots that are not just functional, but delightful.”It remains unclear whether Amazon plans to adapt Sprout for household chores, companionship or other everyday tasks. An October job listing for a user experience designer sought someone to “define what it feels like to live with a Fauna robot.”Amazon spokesperson Brad Glasser told CNBC that the acquisition reflects the company’s “committed to tackling the challenges that can unlock the personal robotics category.”“Our goal is simple: make robots people actually want to live and interact with in everyday human spaces,” one job listing stated.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.