Samsung has announced the release of an AI-powered robot designed to serve as a personal assistant for the home.
The three-wheeled Ballie bot features a built-in projector, speaker and microphone, as well as the ability to control smart home features like heating and lights.
First unveiled in 2020, the football-sized robot has received several upgrades ahead of its first public launch, including the integration of Google’s Gemini AI.
“Through this partnership, Samsung and Google Cloud are redefining the role of AI in the home,” said Yongjae Kim, an executive vice president at Samsung Electronics.
“By pairing Gemini’s powerful multimodal reasoning with Samsung’s AI capabilities in Ballie, we’re leveraging the power of open collaboration to unlock a new era of personalized AI companion – one that moves with users, anticipates their needs, and interacts in more dynamic and meaningful ways than ever before.”
The advanced generative artificial intelligence will allow owners to have conversations with Ballie, with the camera providing a way for the robot to offer direct feedback about its surroundings.
This would allow Ballie to give style suggestions to users, or provide wine pairing suggestions for meals.
The built-in projector means the robot can display detailed weather forecasts, directions or other information onto a wall.
“With enhanced reasoning enabled by Gemini, Ballie will be able to help users manage not only their home, but also their health and wellbeing,” Samsung stated in a blog post.
“For example, a user could tell Ballie, ‘I feel tired today.’ Ballie could then use Gemini’s grounding in Google Search to give tailored advice on how to improve their energy levels, including sharing recommendations from trusted sources on how to get more exercise, optimize their sleeping environment, or monitor their sleep patterns.”
Samsung did not reveal the exact release date, but said that it would be available in the United States and Korea this summer.
Other major tech companies have also unveiled robot assistants for the home, though none have been widely adopted.
Amazon’s Astro robot also comes with the ability to follow users around the home and serve as a personal assistant, though it was primarily designed for home security monitoring. It is currently only available “by invitation only”, costing $1,600.
