And if… ? A small robot on wheels, equipped with a video projector, followed you all day to assist you?
Four years ago, Samsung presented us with its little yellow ball-shaped assistant, logically named… Ballie. Its mission was to support us in our daily lives and act as a concierge 2.0, ready to manage our living space and all its connected devices.
If it did not conquer the world, the device remained the prodigal son of the tech giant, who made it evolve, mature and grow to give it even more character and skills.
A little bullet in the stomach
You probably know BB-8 or R2-D2, the two little robots on wheels emblematic of the saga Star Wars. Perhaps you even dreamed of being accompanied by one of these endearing and resourceful machines during your childhood, and even after. Of course, this is still just science fiction, even though robotics has made incredible progress in the space of a few decades.
But, what if we told you that Samsung is not far from catching up with the manufacturers of George Lucas’ distant galaxy? Indeed, this tech juggernaut, with its technological and technical resources, has just presented us with the latest version of its domestic robot, Ballie.
The little ball comes back stronger than ever, adding a video projector to its arsenal. This versatile device, powered by AI (of course), allows you to broadcast videos, text messages or even video calls on the floor, wall or ceiling. The resemblance with the small robots of Star Wars is obvious, and Samsung claims to have worked on the tool in depth to be able to be used in a myriad of contexts.
A device that does not yet seem ready to be marketed
In a press release, the firm specifies that Ballie can adjust its images according to its distance and orientation in relation to the projection surface, but also according to lighting conditions. Furthermore, she states that it is the “ world’s first projector capable of automatically detecting people’s posture and facial angle “.
In addition to all this, Ballie is responsible for monitoring the house in your absence, sending you alerts, but also controlling connected devices as needed. A real little concierge who, if it does not solve any problem that technology cannot solve today, adds a cute and fun touch to the connected ecosystems which are becoming more and more popular.
If Samsung offered some demonstrations of the device at CES 2024, it remains to give us many more details. In particular about its technical characteristics, the software ecosystem with which it is supposed to work, but also about the most important information: its release date and its launch price.
Source : The Verge
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