Samsung reintroduced Ballie during CES 2024 and now the robot is nearing its promised summer 2025 launch.
In a newsroom post, Samsung explained a little more about what Ballie will be able to do, using Gemini to help it.
We're hearing about more and more robots – one we wrote about a month ago even kicked a baton out of a human's hand – but we aren't sure any are as cute as Samsung's Ballie.
The small, ball-like robot was first introduced by Samsung in 2020 but its launch was delayed and in that time, it's changed quite a bit. Samsung re-introduced Ballie during CES 2024 with its updated design but it also committed to its launch of the robot in the summer of this year.
And that brings us to where we are now. In a post this week, spotted by 9to5Google, Samsung not only said Ballie would launch in the US and Korea "this summer" but it also said the robot would leverage Google's Gemini to help with certain prompts and deliver "personalised interactions".
What does Gemini mean for Ballie?
In the newsroom post, Samsung explained: "Ballie will use Gemini’s multimodal capabilities along with proprietary Samsung language models to process and understand a variety of inputs, including audio and voice, visual data from its camera, and sensor data from its environment. This will allow it to adapt its behaviours and responses in real-time.
"For instance, if you’re not sure what to wear to work in the morning, you can turn to Ballie for advice. Users could ask, 'Hey Ballie, how do I look?' and Ballie can respond with styling recommendations, such as trying new accessories or adding a colourful shirt."
The post also explained that Ballie would be able help you manage your home, as well as your health and wellbeing. If you told Ballie you felt tired, for example, it's said the robot would be able to use Gemini to offer tailored advice on how to improve your energy levels, monitor sleep patterns and get recommendations on improving your sleep environment.
For now, Samsung hasn't said exactly when in the summer Ballie would launch, nor how much it will cost. It also looks like it will be available in the US and Korea only initially, but we're still excited the cutest robot in town is nearing an actual launch.
