Amazon is taking its Alexa lineup of products in an interesting new direction.

The company recently unveiled Amazon Astro, a real-life home robot with the popular personal assistant and a number of unique features.

We're taking a closer look at the Astro and highlighting what the device has to offer.

Say Hello to Amazon Astro

Just think of the Amazon Astro as an Echo Show on wheels that can monitor your house and much more.

Related: The New Echo Show 10: Everything You Need to Know

To make its way through your home, the robot uses algorithms and sensors Amazon calls Intelligent Motion. That helps it move around objects and keep a safe distance from obstacles like people, pets, or stairs.

The same technology will help Astro follow you or deliver a message or reminder to someone else. It will wait in low-traffic areas of your home and automatically head to a charger when needed.

Alexa Comes to You With the Amazon Astro

Amazon Astro Follow

The Amazon Astro brings all of the advantages of an Amazon Alexa device with a touchscreen to anywhere in a home.

It can follow you to deliver reminders, timers, and alerts. You can also create a visual ID and have the robot bring something specifically to you using the robot's built-in cargo bin. And during a video call, Astro moves with you to keep you in the frame.

And unlike any other Alexa device, Astro has a personality. It features digital eyes, body movements, and expressive tones to communicate with anyone in the home. Amazon wants to make the robot a member of the family.

With a focus on privacy, you can turn off the robot's microphones, cameras, and motion with a single button press. You can also use the companion app to dictate zones where the robot isn't allowed to go. The facial ID processing also works just on the device itself.

An LED light on top of Astro's periscope will let you know when a video is streamed to the cloud or when it hears the wake word to activate Alexa.

Use Astro to Monitor Home When You're Away

Amazon Astro Patrol

Even when you're away from home, Astro will still be working. With the app, you can see a live view of your home and even find specific rooms, people, or things. If you see something suspicious, you can also sound an alarm on the robot.

You can also set home monitoring to an away mode to receive an alert when the robot sees an unrecognized person. It will even provide notifications when certain sounds are detected like glass breaking, a smoke alarm, or carbon monoxide alarm.

Anyone with a Ring Protect Pro subscription can also unlock additional features like the ability to schedule autonomous patrols and save video events to the cloud for viewing later.

Related: Amazon Echo Security Features for When You Leave Home

Amazon Astro: Pricing and Availability

The Astro is debuting as part of Amazon's Day 1 Editions program and will start at an introductory price of $999.99. That price will eventually jump to $1,449.99.

All buyers will receive a six-month free trial of the Ring Protect Pro subscription that offers a number of additional security features.

If you're interested, you will need to request an invitation through Amazon and answer a few questions. Amazon will start granting invitations and shipping devices later this year.

Is It Finally Time for a Home Robot Revolution?

The idea of a true home robot has been the work of science fiction.

While the Amazon Astro has a number of unique features on paper, it's to be seen whether the technology can actually be a useful device for your home or if anyone actually needs an Alexa-enabled robot.