It’s not quite BB-8, but Samsung may have unveiled the next best thing in a rolling robot named “Ballie.”
According to Engadget, Ballie is designed to be an assistant, essentially running a smart home. The robot “has a ‘mobile interface’ that looks for ways to improve your life as your needs change using its built-in AI.”
In a YouTube video the company posted, Ballie acts as a household manager, opening shades, triggering a woman’s alarm clock, assisting her with her workout, turning the TV on for the dog once she leaves, sending her a video feed of the dog happily watching TV, playing with the dog and even summoning the robot vacuum when the dog makes a mess.
One gets the impression from watching the video that if you imagined a butler, managing almost every aspect of running a home, as a little yellow ball…you would have Ballie. While Samsung has not announced when Ballie will be available or how much it will cost, the company will likely have a major hit on its hands.
https://youtu.be/Xwi_U-g3wA0