Ring is moving into robotics. The Amazon-owned home security company announced Ring Robotics on Tuesday, along with two new devices: a home security drone and a roving enterprise security robot built for businesses.
The home device, called Ring Drone Cam, is described by Ring as a flying indoor security camera. It is designed to fly from room to room, check on conditions inside a home and alert users if something is wrong. It integrates with Ring's other home security products, so if an alarm triggers at a specific spot such as the backdoor, the drone is meant to fly there and investigate. When idle, it rests in a docking bay.
The drone captures 2K video and carries LED lights for nighttime monitoring and low-light recording. Users can control it through Amazon's Alexa Home Map and schedule patrols at set times, including while they are out for an evening or away on vacation. Ring Rover Cam, the enterprise robot, patrols set routes at set times within a business and streams continuous 4K video to Ring's mobile app. It can be set to record automatically when it detects a human, includes a periscope camera that adjusts to see over obstacles, and offers two-way audio so a remote user can speak to someone on site.
Ring says both robots run on the same proprietary AI system, AI Pilot, which uses specialized vision models, sensors and cloud processing to see, think and navigate on their own. According to the company, the devices build detailed schematics of a home or office just by exploring the space. Ring bills the pair as a guard on patrol that never clocks out, able to sweep a floor after closing or investigate a sensor trip at 2 a.m. and stream it to a phone.
Automated security has been difficult for the industry. Amazon launched its Astro home robot in 2021; it resembled Ring's new robot, and Ring says feedback from Astro customers inspired its device. Astro was repositioned as an enterprise security product but never caught on, and Amazon discontinued it seven months into that role.
Ring has faced persistent privacy criticism, including allegations that its cameras created unofficial surveillance networks accessible to police departments, and the new products carry similar invasive potential. Ring says privacy and security are built in and that video from both devices is protected by TAKE (Throw Away the Key Encryption), which it calls its strongest default encryption yet. Whether local video storage will be offered is unclear; Ring cameras generally record to the cloud.
Ring Rover Cam goes on sale December 16 for $1,000. Ring Drone Cam launches January 27 of next year for $270.
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