Amazon.com (AMZN.O) announced on Wednesday that it would discontinue its Astro for Business security robot for small- and medium-sized businesses, as it shifts its focus to household robots.
Originally launched for household use in 2021, the canine-like robot, Astro, was introduced for business customers in retail, manufacturing, health, and wellness sectors last November.
“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 said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
The home robot was designed to handle tasks such as home monitoring, setting up routines and reminders, and playing music and TV shows while moving around the house.
Priced at $2,349.99 and available exclusively in the U.S., the Astro for Business robot was intended to help customers monitor their businesses around the clock.
According to an email sent by the company to customers, the Astro for Business robots will cease to be functional as of September 25.
Amazon has announced a $300 credit for affected customers to support finding a replacement solution for the workplace. Additionally, customers will no longer be charged the Astro Secure subscription fee starting Wednesday and will be refunded any unused pre-paid fees.
