If you remember Rosie from “The Jetsons,” congratulations—the future is here.
Amazon’s Ring announced the launch of two new products on Tuesday, offering homeowners room-to-room surveillance and smart home functionality in brand-new ways.
First, there’s an indoor security drone. The Ring Drone Cam is a security camera that takes flight in your home, including upstairs, to monitor your house activity, day and night.
At a demonstration in New York on Monday, Ring CEO Jamie Siminoff showed how the drone could be used as a home monitoring tool and as a crime “deterrent.”
“If someone is going around your house at night, and your motion detector goes off on your Ring doorbell, imagine if you see spotlights and something flying across the window,” Siminoff said, according to CNBC. “You’re probably not going to go into that house.”
Secondly, there is the Ring Rover Cam. Seen by most as an upgrade to Amazon’s 2021 Astro home robot, this free-roaming bot is being pushed more for companies to patrol offices, warehouses, and other workspaces.
But it is a clear indication of where the technology for your home may head next.
Smart home technology reaching new heights
The Ring Drone is being touted as a product meeting the moment of consumers eager to keep their most powerful asset protected at every level.
“For years, customers told us they wanted eyes in the places a fixed camera couldn’t reach, and peace of mind in the spots they’d never want one,” said Siminoff in the company’s press release.
“The honest answer wasn’t more cameras; it meant reimagining what a security device could be. That kind of invention is hard, and it takes time. But we kept at it until we got it right—and that’s Ring Robotics. It’s not just a new category of security; it’s the beginning of a future where proactive, autonomous protection is something every home and every business can have.”
Priced at $250, the Ring Drone flying indoor security camera is a first-of-its-kind Ring camera, “built from the ground up with AI at its core,” according to the company.
Spec and key features include the following:
- Custom flight routes: Homeowners can set routes and a schedule, and Ring Drone flies them automatically. You can also deploy it on demand, as the promo video shows.
- Automatic incident response: When a Ring camera, sensor, or alarm is triggered, Ring Drone automatically flies to previously set patrol points to investigate.
- Wall-to-wall coverage: With a 148-degree field of view and the ability to rotate 360 degrees, Ring Drone provides a whole-room view in 2K video.
- Captures video day or night: Two built-in LED lights activate automatically in low-light environments, so you always get clear, crisp video.
- Seamless Ring integration: Works with Ring cameras, doorbells, sensors, and alarms out of the box, and can be controlled from the newly updated Alexa Home Map.
A Rover Boy
The Ring Drone was announced as part of the launch of Ring Robotics, which takes everything “customers already love and trust about Ring and puts it in motion,” according to the company announcement.
While the Ring Drone is presented as a home product, the company’s debut of Ring Rover is designed for business.
An autonomous security robot, the $1,000 device is designed to give a roving security to offices, warehouses, and other larger footprint facilities.
Admittedly, the company created the Ring Rover after receiving feedback from Amazon Astro customers who said the feature they loved seeing is security on the move.
“As leaders in home and business security, the Ring team took that feedback, leveraged the best of Astro, and built something new—not a home robot that also does security, but a purpose-built security robot,” reads the press release.
Key features and capabilities of Ring Rover include the following:
- Full-spectrum scanning: The Ring Rover can travel to any saved checkpoint or room with one tap. It can then execute a complete 360-degree scan to ensure total coverage.
- Customizable patrol schedules: Set automated monitoring routes that fit your business schedule, allowing Ring Rover to patrol off-hours when a workspace is empty.
- Automated event investigation: Triggers from connected Ring devices prompt Ring Rover to autonomously navigate to designated patrol points to assess the situation.
- Height-adjustable periscope camera: An extendable mast allows the camera to see above shelving, counters, and obstacles. Height settings can be customized and saved for specific stops.
- Visible and audible deterrents: Equipped with an integrated siren, light tower, and two-way audio, Ring Rover signals an active security presence and enables direct real-time communication.
- Continuous 4K video recording: Streams and records up to 4K video during motion and patrols, capturing footage along the entire route for later review.*
The Ring Drone Cam ships in the U.S. on Jan. 27, pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission, while the Ring Rover Cam will begin shipping to users on Dec. 16, the company said.