Samsung has finally introduced its highly anticipated new AI-powered device, Ballie, which the company describes as a home AI companion. It's a ball-shaped robot on wheels, equipped with cameras, a mini projector, and AI brains powered by Google's Gemini multimodal reasoning.
Ballie will take over your smart home this summer, assuming you can buy one. It will go on sale in the USA and Korea, with no news on whether or not it will reach other markets. But aside from a worldwide debut, I worry Ballie might miss out on other potential features that could have really drawn a crowd: Easter eggs and an extra-charming personality.
I have little doubt that Ballie's integration with Google Gemini will make it highly conversational and practical. Interactions with Ballie should feel as natural as they can be, given the current level of generative AI technology.
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However, I wish Ballie could do more than act as a platform for Gemini and a vehicle for SmartThings. I want it to have more wit and incorporate hidden interactions. For all we know, it could have all these things, but if it does, Samsung hasn't said anything about them yet.
I want Ballie to feel more like Wall-E
One example I envision is how Ballie could interact with other smart home devices, such as Samsung's other roaming robot, i.e., the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI. The latter isn't as charming as Ballie, but it roams around your home with one clear purpose: keeping your floors clean.
I don't expect a Robot Wars scenario in my living room when Ballie and Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI meet for the first time. Still, I would love it if Ballie could at least acknowledge the presence of Jet Bot and have some clever comments, quips, and interactions built into its system for such occasions. Something that goes beyond the scope of Ballie being a rolling SmartThings hub with a projector.
Next to Ballie, the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI should come across as a single-purpose robot obsessed with cleanliness — maybe even to the point where Ballie shows concern but eventually learns to deal with its counterpart's obsessive behavior. If Ballie could at least acknowledge these characteristics, it would lend more personality to Jet Bot AI and possibly other smart home devices in its environment.
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Possibilities seem nearly endless. Samsung's roaming robots could interact in unexpected ways whenever they cross paths. Both robots have integrated speakers, so I hope they can be programmed to tell jokes to one another or even play a round of rock paper scissors sometimes, without the user's input.
I really hope Samsung will consider building such fun interactions into Ballie and maybe even the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo series and deploy them through firmware updates if they're not already there — at least as far as Ballie is concerned.
All in all, I wish Ballie would have a “mind of its own” component that users could turn off if they're strictly interested in the robot's practicality. Aside from boasting Gemini features, I want to see Ballie roam around without a user-defined purpose sometimes, look around my living room, recognize objects, and display a personality of its own through short comments that can create the illusion that Ballie is aware of itself, other objects, and other Samsung smart home products.
I will admit that my hopes and expectations might be a little too high, and I can only guess the amount of work needed to bake such clever interactive features into Ballie. Still, I hope Samsung has at least considered similar ideas. I think such extra touches would truly add to the experience. Gemini integration will be useful, but I want to see more unique features that reflect Samsung's imagination and creative spirit.
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