After years of teasers, prototypes, and early versions, Samsung has finally announced the arrival of Ballie, its innovative home robot first introduced at CES 2020. This small spherical assistant, equipped with advanced artificial intelligence, a built-in projector, and now also Google’s Gemini AI, promises to revolutionize the smart home experience.
Ballie was one of the highlights of CES 2025 in Las Vegas, where Samsung showcased its enhanced capabilities and confirmed its commercial launch in the United States and South Korea between June and August 2025. The debut in other markets, such as Italy, has not yet been officially announced, but it’s expected to follow soon after.
Gemini AI at the Heart of the User Experience
The major new feature is the integration with Gemini, Google’s AI assistant already used on smartphones and tablets. Gemini brings a more natural interaction to Ballie, enabling smooth conversations and the ability to process multimodal data. This means the robot can understand voice, images, video, and sensor input to adapt in real-time to its environment and the user’s needs.
Imagine asking Ballie, “How does this outfit look on me?” — using its camera and AI analysis, the robot can suggest accessories, color adjustments, or alternative outfit ideas. It can also provide healthy lifestyle tips and energy-boosting suggestions when you’re feeling tired, all through simple voice interaction.
Compact Design and Smart Features
Ballie features a sleek, compact, updated design that allows it to move freely around the home, follow users, project multimedia content onto any surface, and control smart home devices with voice commands. There’s no need for extra screens or TVs — with its built-in projector, you can watch movies, make video calls, or receive notifications right on your wall.
But Ballie is more than a mobile projector: it’s a true AI-powered personal assistant, capable of learning habits and preferences, anticipating needs, and offering meaningful support in daily life.
Here Are Some of Its Key Features:
- Intelligent conversations thanks to Gemini AI, with contextual responses and online search capabilities.
- Smart home control, from lights to appliances and more.
- Facial recognition for personalized interactions with each household member.
- Home security monitoring, detecting suspicious movement and sending real-time alerts.
- Elderly care support, with medication reminders, health tracking, and emergency contact features.
- Children’s entertainment, including interactive games, storytelling, and educational activities projected on walls.
- Personal organization, like managing calendars, schedules, and even welcoming guests.
At CES, for example, Ballie demonstrated its intelligence by recommending a wine pairing for a steak after a short back-and-forth conversation, showing off its reasoning and natural interaction skills.
Technology Behind It
Ballie runs on the Tizen operating system, although it’s still unclear whether modifications were made to better integrate Google’s AI. The project is the result of a close collaboration between Samsung and Google Cloud, which, according to Yongjae Kim, Executive Vice President of Samsung’s Visual Display Division, marks the beginning of a new era in consumer robotics.
What’s Still Missing?
Pricing and an exact launch date have yet to be announced, but Samsung promises more details in the coming months. One thing is certain: with Ballie, the smart home takes a major leap forward toward more personalized, dynamic, and… rolling interaction.
