"The smart home robot has made an appearance at CES almost every year since it was first announced in 2020, but was notably absent at CES 2026. Unfortunately, its disappearance may be because Ballie has been shelved. In a statement emailed to , Samsung said Ballie is an "active innovation platform," and "continues to inform how Samsung designs spatially aware, context-driven experiences, particularly in areas like smart home intelligence, ambient AI and privacy-by-design.""
"However, there was no mention of the robot's consumer release. There was a flood of AI robots at CES this year, like Samsung rival LG's CLOiD robot. Ballie, a bright yellow soccer ball-sized robot with a built-in projector and Google Gemini, would have fit right in, but it seems like Samsung probably isn't releasing the BB-8 look-a-like after all."
Samsung's spherical Ballie smart home robot, first shown in 2020, was absent from CES 2026 after annual appearances. Ballie was announced for retail launch less than a year ago, but Samsung's recent communications omitted any mention of a consumer release. Samsung described Ballie as an "active innovation platform" that informs spatially aware, context-driven experiences, including smart home intelligence, ambient AI and privacy-by-design. A wave of AI robots appeared at CES 2026, including LG's CLOiD, and Ballie's design—a bright yellow, soccer ball-sized robot with a built-in projector and Google Gemini—would have fit that trend. Despite demonstrations and capabilities, Ballie now seems unlikely to reach consumers.
Read at The Verge
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