Samsung, the South Korean tech leader, unveiled the latest version of its round companion robot Ballie, designed to keep a watchful eye on the home and its inhabitants. The company highlighted the reveal at CES 2024, the prominent consumer electronics expo held in Las Vegas. The showcase was featured on the official Samsung platform.
The updated Ballie features a three-wheel design that navigates spaces using a combination of onboard cameras and lidar sensors. It extends its functionality to manage smart-home tasks such as lighting, climate control, and temperature settings, integrating with compatible devices to streamline daily routines.
Beyond home management, Ballie can patrol designated areas, capture images, and stream video through a companion smartphone app. Interaction with the robot is possible through both keyboard-style text prompts and spoken commands, enabling hands-free operation when needed.
Compared with the original Ballie introduced in 2020, the new model adds a built-in projector capable of projecting visuals onto walls and ceilings. In promotional material, the projector is shown being used to facilitate video calls, extending the device’s role from assistance to personal communication.
Samsung states that the refreshed Ballie is powered by artificial intelligence, allowing it to learn user preferences over time and to tailor its responses and tasks accordingly. The company indicated plans to make Ballie commercially available by the end of 2024, pending further refinements and production milestones.
In the broader market context, Amazon has previously introduced Astro, a small security-focused robot designed for workplace and home monitoring, underscoring the growing trend of mobile home assistants that blend autonomy with surveillance features. This competitive landscape reflects ongoing interest from major tech players in expanding the capabilities of domestic robotics while addressing privacy, convenience, and user adoption concerns.