CES 2020: Samsung Ballie demonstrates future AI, smart home plans

A scene-stealer at Samsung's Consumer Electronics Show keynote comes in the form of an adorable, rolling smart home control center that reminds us of a mix between Star Wars' BB-8 and a tennis ball. Ballie, as it is called, represents the company's future home robot strategy.

Ballie has a plastic, scalloped frame, which gives it a sense of playfulness. It's like having a little ball follow you around at home. Samsung won't dish much about what Ballie's hardware will be. But it doesn't seem to be using Samsung's home-made Exynos processors to power it. It has a single camera for object and person detection, and it handles all image processing directly on-device. It supposedly can't record and store footage of its surroundings entirely, which may or may not appease privacy concerns.

Samsung designed it to be a companion of sorts. And it can do things like see people completing chores and checking that off the list. But we don't know much else about it—like potential price points, specifications, or launch window. Samsung just says there will be a launch in the "near future."

The company also still has to figure out its software and how to get it to do what they believe it can pull off in the future. And if there aren't smart speakers in every room of the house, it might not be able to perform as well. We don't know if people will be amenable to having a robot companion around, too.

But Samsung seems keen to proceed with the concept, we don't know what it can turn into, or whether we'll see Ballie soon. We will be keeping watch to see where it's headed.

Source: Engadget 1 + Engadget 2