The end of Scout testing is just the latest cutback in a string of belt-tightening maneuvers for Amazon, that seem to signal financial stress. The retail giant announced a hiring freeze earlier this month. Then, on Wednesday, the company also scrapped Glow, discontinuing its clunky video portal for kids—an admittedly less charismatic design than the Wall-E-esque Scouts.
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And, although the idea of a delivery robot that still required a person to walk alongside it while cluttering city sidewalks seemed vaguely dystopian, we at Gizmodo wish the Scout bots a pleasant retirement. Wherever they are now, we hope they have ample, smooth flat surfaces to slowly rove around on.