Amazon Robot Plan Almost Too Good To Be True

Amazon had an idea for a robot that would live its life charging up other devices. This robot would call when bidden, and would be able to follow the user around when there's a need to walk. This robot – or army of robots – would address a problem that many citizens have at airports every single day of the year. It'd do a lot more good than those confounded outlet stickers, anyway.

"The general public uses electronic mobile devices such as cell phones, tablets, laptops, or the like to perform a myriad of daily tasks," begins the Patent background by Amazon as listed with the USPTO. "It can be quite inconvenient to a user when one of these devices runs out of battery power." This is what happens when you have a smartphone without a replaceable battery – or a Moto Mod battery.

When a mobile device – generally a smartphone – needs power, the user indicates this with an action. This could be a button in an app – or it could just be an automatic sort of deal. Once this signal is sent, the phone's location is used by a robot which drives itself to said location and offers its services to the human with the low-power smartphone.

If the human then moves, the robot somehow tracks the human and stays within a threshold distance. Creepy, awesome, quite possibly excellent. On the other hand, this is Amazon – so you know that robot will also try to sell you something.

In this case it means that the Amazon Battery Robot will show an advertisement whenever it's in service. So it's a walking billboard – or rolling billboard. Also it'll have snacks inside that can be purchased – so it could be a sort of mobile vending machine.

As GeekWire suggests, there's really only one name Amazon could possibly choose for this robot. Given its battery-laden powers and ability to travel, this robot would have to be called "Power Ranger" – very obviously. I'm also thinking "Snackbatterybot", "Helper Bot", or "THE CRUSHINATOR."