Amazon's long-rumored household robot is in the "late prototype stage," according to new leaked information.

Codenamed "Vesta," the project has been in the works for four years and reportedly now involves more than 800 employees. However, Insider reports that the project has been plagued by multiple problems, and Amazon staff are skeptical about its prospects.

Insider states that it has seen internal documents regarding Vesta and has spoken to six people directly involved in the project on condition of anonymity.

These sources detail a catalog of "strategy shifts and launch delays" and question whether Vesta is actually popular with consumers.

Some even compare the project to Amazon's failed attempt to enter the smartphone market, the Fire Phone, which lost approximately $170 million in 2014.

There are also reportedly concerns about whether Vesta is worth all the time and resources spent on it, especially given some employees' concerns that it will only be a niche product.

Do these sources have a point? Well, Vesta certainly sounds niche, but that doesn't necessarily mean it won't be successful.

So what is it then, Vesta is said to be an Alexa-powered robot with a screen and multiple cameras that walks around the house. Sources described it as a "Fire tablet on wheels."

One Vesta prototype is said to be the same size as "two small cats" and, according to Insider, is about 10 to 13 inches wide, possibly depending on the cats.

The design is said to resemble a photo posted by Jeff Bezos on Instagram of an Echo device stuck to a Roomba robot vacuum cleaner. However, it does not appear that Vesta will ever clean.

There is no guarantee that Amazon will launch Vesta; Insider reports that early sales estimates are low and that it may initially launch as a limited invite-only product, mirroring the approach Amazon has taken with its Amazon Halo fitness band.

Also, when the Amazon Vesta is introduced, it is expected to be the most expensive device Amazon has ever manufactured. Given that Amazon's most expensive product currently is the $250 Echo Show 10, it is clear that this is not a budget device.

It is also quite possible that the finished product will look very different from the prototype, and the Vesta team is considering a variety of new approaches to make it more marketable, some of which are based on remote working, which is currently a hot topic for obvious reasons

These proposals include.

One of these proposals is to position Vesta as a "mobile meeting platform" so that people no longer have to follow around the house and sit at their desks.

Other suggestions include plug-ins and widgets that turn Vesta into an environmental monitoring system, adding compartments for carrying things around, and utilizing fire detection and home security technology.

Right now, it is clear that Vesta can be many things. The fact that Amazon has yet to find a use for Vesta after four years does not bode well for Vesta's future.

That said, we are not going to rule it out at this point - and there is a good chance that the Vesta robot will end up being a success. It will be interesting to see what happens.