It's safe to say that Samsung has a lot of ideas. The Ballie robot was unveiled in 2020 and then returned to the manufacturer's drawing board, before being reminded everyone of its existence during CES 2024. Since then, no news... until today.
The yellow ball that follows you everywhere
Samsung has indeed announced that the Ballie will begin shipping this summer in the United States and South Korea (the price is unknown, however). The object is a sort of small yellow ball mounted on wheels that can follow a user around the house. It is equipped with a video projector to display images from the internet, and of course, it speaks occasionally.
The technical details are very light, but Samsung emphasizes the fact that aside from its appearance, this robot has nothing to see with the one that was presented five years ago. It actually uses AI models from Gemini to understand user requests, search for information on the internet, and process visual data recorded by cameras to avoid obstacles.
Samsung is also adding its own models that support personal data and weather. SmartThings is also on board for managing home automation devices. The manufacturer gives some examples of Ballie's uses: tips for changing hairstyles, projecting the latest trends on TikTok, suggesting clothes...
Ballie will also be able to draw on Google results to get health and wellness tips, improve energy levels, and share exercise ideas. Beware of nasty surprises and AI hallucinations!
Since the Galaxy S24, Google and Samsung have been working very closely together to integrate the former's AI into the latter's devices. Ballie is a new example of this close collaboration, and other devices will also benefit from it.
As for the domestic robotics sector, it's a market that's still in its infancy but is being eyed by several major players like Samsung, but also Amazon and its Astro robot, Meta, and Apple.
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