Amazon's Ring debuts security robots, including a drone

Amazon’s Ring has introduced two autonomous security devices designed to cover areas fixed cameras cannot. The $250 Ring Drone Camera is an indoor quadcopter that can fly from room to room, offering a 148-degree field of view, 360-degree rotation and lights for low-light recording. Ring says its AI navigation enables “wall-to-wall” coverage. For businesses, the $1,000 Ring Rover Cam is a patrol robot that can conduct regular property sweeps or investigate disturbances. Both are intentionally conspicuous: the drone’s propellers are audible, while the rover has a bright light tower and siren. Ring presents them as tools to deter intruders as well as monitor spaces.

The launch extends Ring’s familiar camera-based security system into mobile, autonomous surveillance, addressing customers who want coverage without installing more fixed cameras. The company says recording is off when the drone is not flying and when the rover is asleep, and that LED indicators - and the rover’s screen - show when recording is underway. Both devices also require a Ring subscription costing $5 per month or $60 per year. Privacy advocates warn that putting connected cameras inside homes creates a significant risk of data breaches and question whether the added surveillance is worth that exposure. Ring’s assurances and the devices’ visible recording signals are central to its pitch, but they do not eliminate concerns about storing or securing footage.