The Curious Case of Consumer Robots: Will Samsung’s Ballie Break the Mold?
Tech enthusiasts eagerly await the spectacle of a tech company unveiling a new robot on stage, symbolizing their foray into cutting-edge innovation. While some, like Amazon’s Astro or Sony’s Aibo, manage to enter the consumer market, many remain confined to press conferences. Samsung’s Ballie has been a familiar face at CES for about five years, and despite receiving updates like a built-in projector at CES 2024, it hasn’t made significant strides toward market release.
At CES 2025, however, Samsung provided a glimmer of hope with a tentative release timeline. The company announced plans to launch Ballie within the next six months, although challenges remain. According to Samsung, “Ballie acts as a personal home assistant, autonomously driving around the home to complete various tasks.” Yet, beyond vacuum cleaners, home robots have struggled to gain traction due to high costs and limited functionality.
“There are simply not enough features to justify such high price tags,”
{Samsung spokesperson}
- Many large companies have scrapped similar projects.
- Smaller startups have closed down due to financial constraints.
So, could Ballie be different? Perhaps not. It might find some success in South Korea, but its appeal in the U.S. and other global markets is uncertain. As we wait for further announcements on pricing and availability at Samsung’s upcoming press conference on Monday at 2 p.m. PT, the tech world remains skeptical yet intrigued.
