Ring announces an indoor drone camera and a wheeled security robot

Reuters reported on 10 November that Amazon’s Ring launched two products under the name Ring Robotics. Ring Drone Cam is an indoor flying camera. Ring Rover Cam is a wheeled robot for businesses. Reuters said both use a system called AI Pilot, which combines cameras, vision models, sensors, and cloud processing to map a space and move around obstacles. The drone can fly a preset route or go to a place when another Ring device raises an alert. The rover can patrol on a schedule or when it is sent.

Reuters said Amazon will start shipping the Rover Cam on 16 December at $999.99 in the United States, and the Drone Cam on 27 January at $249.99. GeekWire, citing the product fine print, reported that the drone has not yet received the required authorisation from the Federal Communications Commission, and that Ring is taking email sign-ups for it rather than full orders. The same report said scheduled flights, patrols, and review of the rover’s recorded video require a Ring Protect subscription, and that Ring did not say which plans qualify. WIRED reported that the drone is for indoor use, is under 250 grams, and does not need Federal Aviation Administration registration.