Ring cameras are about to move. Amazon’s Ring announced a new robotics line on Tuesday, November 10, with two products: a flying indoor camera for homes and a wheeled patrol robot for businesses, according to Amazon’s announcement, Reuters via Investing.com, Axios and Gizmodo. Ars Technica also covered the launch. The image here is a stock photo of a small indoor drone and does not show the Ring product.
The drone. The Ring Drone Cam is priced at $249.99 and is due to ship on January 27, according to the reports. Reuters says it can fly preset routes on demand or fly to investigate when an alarm goes off. Axios reports that Ring is still pursuing FCC certification for the drone, so the ship date depends on that approval.
The robot. The Ring Rover Cam is aimed at businesses and priced at $999.99 in the US, with shipping due on December 16, according to Reuters and Gizmodo. It can patrol on a schedule or when needed. The Rover grew out of feedback from users of Amazon’s Astro home robot, which launched in 2021.
The AI behind it. Both devices run on a custom system Ring calls AI Pilot, which maps spaces, suggests patrol points and avoids obstacles, combining cameras, sensors and cloud processing, according to the coverage. The reports do not give details on how footage is stored or who can view it.
Privacy. Ring says both devices default to a privacy mode, with LEDs that show when they are recording. Gizmodo and other outlets note that privacy concerns are likely, since the devices move through rooms and record what they see. A default setting is a company promise and not a legal protection.
One conflicting report. One outlet’s article says no pricing or availability dates have been announced, while Amazon, Reuters and NBC News report specific prices and ship dates. The specific figures come from Amazon and Reuters, so the other report appears to be out of date.
Why it matters. A camera that moves can cover more of a home or site than a fixed one, and AI can decide where to look. It also raises new questions about surveillance in private spaces, about how much of what the device captures is processed in the cloud, and about who can access it. For buyers in the US and UK, availability outside the US is not mentioned in the reports reviewed.
What to watch. Look for FCC approval of the drone, reviews of how well AI Pilot works in real homes, Ring’s data and privacy policies for the new devices, and any regulator or privacy group response.
Sources: Amazon, Reuters, Axios and Gizmodo, with the Ars Technica headline noted. Details are as reported and prices are US prices.
Small indoor drone (representative image, not the Ring product), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
