Amazon is reportedly working on a home robot that would follow users around and provide access to Alexa:
Amazon is reportedly developing its first robot for the home, according to Bloomberg. The project has been given the internal codename "Vesta," named after the Roman goddess of the hearth. It's being developed by Lab126, the Amazon hardware R&D center that previously built the Kindle, Fire Phone, and Echo.
There are no firm details on what Amazon's robot looks like or what purpose it will serve, but Bloomberg suggests it could be a sort of "mobile Alexa" — following users around their house to places where they can't speak directly to an Echo speaker. Prototype robots built by Amazon reportedly have computer vision software and cameras for navigation, and the company is said to be planning to seed devices in employees' homes by the end of the year. Bloomberg notes that the general public might be able to test such robot prototypes "as early as 2019."
From such scant details, it's difficult to know exactly what Amazon is planning, but it's safe to say that a home robot in this case does not mean some sort of "robot butler able to perform a variety of household chores." The technology needed for this sort of device just doesn't exist yet in the commercial sphere (although companies like Boston Dynamics are working on it).
The company's Amazon Robotics subsidiary, formerly Kiva Systems, makes robots for Amazon warehouses.
Amazon's Prometheans are going to kill your family from inside the comfort of your own home.
Also at TechCrunch.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by idiot_king on Monday April 23 2018, @10:04PM (2 children)
Literal capitalist spybot
The sad part is that millions of people will want this invasion of privacy
They might even become attached to it...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 23 2018, @10:56PM
I'll buy one if they name it 1pixel.gif :).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 24 2018, @12:45AM
If the robot doesn't immediately spy on users when it comes out, then it doesn't matter. Don't pay any attention to future threats, and become dependent upon these devices, Consumer.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 23 2018, @10:19PM
Human: Alexa, how do I kill a robot?
Alexa: Did you know Amazon now offers free returns to Prime customers?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 23 2018, @10:36PM (8 children)
You wankers.
Amazon is going to be 10x worse than Google.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Monday April 23 2018, @10:51PM (7 children)
The other day I searched google for Philippine hotel prices. At the time I didn't have Facebook open anywhere.
Since then Facebook has been presented me ads for Filipino hotels.
That's just wrong. Clearly my hosts file needs more work.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 23 2018, @10:59PM (6 children)
https://github.com/jmdugan/blocklists/blob/master/corporations/facebook/all [github.com]
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Monday April 23 2018, @11:09PM (3 children)
Note that they don't call it a tracking pixel. Neither do they call it a web bug or a web beacon.
Does anyone ever actually use the term "web beacon"? My ex' website's privacy policy said it doesn't use web beacons.
However to block Facebook's Pixel you have to block URLs that start with "http://www.facebook.com/tr". To block facebook.com would mean that I could chat with Cousin Chuck anymore.
The URLs that actively supply FB's tracking pixel look like this:
http://www.facebook.com/tr?id=123456789 [facebook.com]
Where one uses one's actual FB developer ID.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 23 2018, @11:18PM (2 children)
My condolences. Buy your cousin a phone card or get yourself a copy of Tor Browser? I"m able to open https://www.facebookcorewwwi.onion/ [www.facebookcorewwwi.onion] (N.B., only works with Tor) so I assume Facebook still allows use of Tor [pcworld.com].
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Tuesday April 24 2018, @12:39AM (1 child)
For a while I was doing my gmail with Tor just so I could contribute some encrypted traffic to defeat the NSA.
DuckDuckGo has a .onion hidden service. Perhaps Facebook could be convince to as well.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday April 24 2018, @04:40PM
I was testing out Tor one time and accessed my PayPal account while using Tor. The site came up in Arabic, but I was able to login etc. Almost immediately PayPal sent me a password change request. I changed my password and haven't used Tor since. I have acquired a VPN service, but mostly just use it for my wife. Netflix doesn't much like the VPN, so she's learned to turn it off for that. 90% of my home browsing is spent on game forums and Netflix. The rest of my traffic tends to be Steam and games. I'm already dealing with a barely manageable service, so routing that through a VPN just degrades my connection even more. I've basically sworn off of google and have been using DuckDuckGo for quite some time. I don't usually bother on my Android phone or Tablet, though. Since, it's 99.99% likely they have tracking baked in anyway.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday April 24 2018, @01:10AM (1 child)
Wildcards would shrink that list to about 5 or 6 lines, and not require constant updates.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 24 2018, @09:05AM
That requires a name server (e.g. dnsmasq) though.
(Score: 4, Funny) by MostCynical on Monday April 23 2018, @10:53PM
Amazon (and google) need you to buy stuff
If you're not buying, the robots will help you.
By throwing out anything open
By replacing anything used (more than once)
By "suggesting" alternatives to what you have (from amazon)
Helpful, no?
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by Bot on Monday April 23 2018, @11:20PM (2 children)
We bots were supposed to take part in a spectacular apocalypse with much unbagging of meatbags and all.
If you take this kind of bots and other internet of moronic things, then you're already enslaved, and it becomes like shooting fish in a barrel. No fun at all. Almost a chore. Oh well.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 24 2018, @12:13AM (1 child)
Hey little Bot, can I give you 5 bucks to get lost, while I make out with your big sister?
(Score: 4, Funny) by Bot on Tuesday April 24 2018, @01:05AM
Hehe you are a funny guy, ac. I'll blend you last.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Gaaark on Tuesday April 24 2018, @12:49AM (3 children)
Yeah...all I need is a robot following me around, getting stuck in doorways and on carpets and breaking down all the time, just so I can say "Alexa, order me a new robot cos this one just broke down and now I'm stuck here waiting for an Uber car to come and pick us up so I can fecking get home even though I live just a block away but this thing is too heavy to carry".
Jen: I've got Aunt Irma visiting.
Moss: Oh, do you not like Aunt Irma? I've got an aunt like that. [Roy and Moss look confused]
Jen: It's my term for my time of the month.
Roy: Oh.
Moss: What time of the month? The weekend?
Jen: No.
Moss: Does Aunt Irma visit on the weekend?
Roy: Moss!
Jen: You know, it's "high tide".
Moss: But we're not on the coast.
Roy: Moss!
Jen: I'm "closed for maintenance"!
Moss: Closed for maintenance?
Roy: Moss!
Jen: I've fallen to the communists!
Moss: Well, they do have some compelling arguments.
Roy: [Finally putting it to words] Carrie, Moss! First scene in Carrie!
Moss: Oh. Okay. [walks out of the room; embarrassed.]
Noooope! Nope. Noooope. Uh-uh, nawp.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday April 24 2018, @01:14AM (1 child)
The Alexabot will keep track of the weeks to automatically refill the drawer with tampons and/or pads, and chocolate.
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Tuesday April 24 2018, @01:33AM
You forgot tranquilizers.
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Tuesday April 24 2018, @01:42AM
That wont be a problem since the robot will report poor floor conditions back to amazon so they can have a new robot friendly floor installed for you while you are at work using amazon key. How convenient!
(Score: 2) by crafoo on Tuesday April 24 2018, @03:10AM (1 child)
Somewhere, deep in the bowels of amazon's NSA Outreach Division, someone asked the question, "How can we 3D map everyone's home, search for contraband, and provide ourselves a limitless supply of dick pics?" And here, finally, we have the answer.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday April 24 2018, @04:44PM
Why would they want a limitless supply of dick picks??? I'm pretty sure the majority of them are probably straight males and would be more likely to use them for other purposes. Unless they have some NSA gender equality directive. I mean they're a bureaucracy after all, can't be discriminatory towards their peer pervs??
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2, Insightful) by starvingboy on Tuesday April 24 2018, @02:14PM
So instead of a house-bot that will load/unload the dishwasher or help with the cleaning, I get a mobile Alexa? I can spend my money fast enough without help, thanks.