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Samsung unveils Ballie, a mini-robot in the shape of a ball 

     Samsung took advantage of its keynote at the CES in Las Vegas to present Ballie, a small ball-shaped robot destined to become a true domestic companion. If you're a fan of R2-D2 or BB-8, you might be seduced.

With Ballie, it seems that the Korean giant is getting more involved in the field of robotics.

"A personal assistant who understands you."

     H.S. Kim, CEO of Samsung's Consumer Electronics Division, presented the robot in a short demonstration. Ballie followed him on stage while keeping a safe space to avoid disturbing his movements. 

     The robot also greeted the audience in a manner reminiscent of the iconic Star Wars droids and then lodged itself in Kim's hand when asked to do so.

     Exactly what is this robot used for? In a video that further details Ballie's capabilities, Samsung describes him as a "personalized companion that understands and supports you", much like Sony's Aibo robot dog. 

     In concrete terms, Ballie is able to recognize you and interact with connected objects in your home.

     The video shows him turning on the TV, opening the blinds, or activating the vacuum cleaner if he spots dirt. He can also take pictures of your pet and send them to you when you are away.

A difficult clientele to convince

     Of course, Ballie is still in the conceptual stage, and there is no guarantee that it will ever be available on the market. 

     Unfortunately, commercial robots are having a hard time achieving the desired success, and there have been many examples of this in recent years. Among them, we can mention in particular the educational robots produced by the company Anki, which announced to stop its activity in May 2019. 

     It should be noted that the company could, however, rise from its ashes thanks to an unexpected takeover by the start-up Digital Dream Labs.