Ballie (to be pronounced Ball-E) is the AI-based robot showcased by Samsung at the CES 2020, currently on in Las Vegas, USA.

Ballie is projected as the future home companion that can perform a range of tasks around the house. The demo by the company’s CEO H.S. Kim showed this ball shaped device moving about the stage.

The device has a camera in the front. This helps it navigate around the place and can spring to action when needed. There is the inbuilt artificial intelligence that triggers the activity or the robot’s interaction with the other smart devices in the house.

However, there is very little else revealed by Samsung at the CES about this new robot, Ballie. The company has put out a statement on Ballie separately but even that does not contain much details, except saying it can perform multiple tasks, including home security and fitness.

Samsung said in a statement that H.S. Kim, President and CEO of Consumer Electronics Division, Samsung Electronics unveiled Samsung’s vision of robots as ‘life companions,’ and introduced Ballie as ‘a small, rolling robot that understands you, supports you, and reacts to your needs to be actively helpful around the house’.

Many technology companies including Samsung demonstrate new technologies in such events as the CES; however, very few follow it through with the introduction or launch of the products in the market. One can go back and count the number of products showcased by Samsung in the past which are yet to be released. It is now hoped that with Ballie at least the company will be more serious and will have a proper product developed and launched as soon as it can.

Some observers see this product Ballie as Samsung’s answer to the robotic dog Aibo. But for that to be seen by the customers at large, the company has to share more information on the device’s features and set a definite timetable for its development and release as a commercial product.