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RememberBallie , Samsung ’s spheric place golem from CES 2020 ? I sure did n’t — until Samsung bring it back at this year ’s keynote with a few on - trend AI rise .
The new and improved Ballie , whichSamsung preview during its press conference at CES 2024 in Las Vegastoday , is around the sizing of a bowling ball , packing a battery that ’s design to last two to three hour . Ballie sports a spatial lidar sensing element to help it pilot rooms and obstacle , as well as a 1080p projector with two lenses that allows the automaton to project movies and television calls and even act as a second PC reminder .
“ Use [ Ballie ] to project image and stream content on wall , and it can mechanically adjust the icon based on the wall distance and lighting conditions , ” Samsung write in press loss . “ It [ can ] mechanically detect people ’s posture and facial angle and adjust the optimal expulsion slant for you . ”
Ballie can be controlled with voice commands or , intriguingly , requests sent via school text message ( for instance “ act a movie on the nearest bulwark ” ) . In the latter case , Ballie will respond with the aid of a chatbot to support asking before film action .
Like other home golem in its course of instruction , Ballie can automatically release on smart lightness and , thanks to a build - in infrared transmitter , “ non - chic ” twist like air conditioners and older TVs . And the robot can map out a trading floor plan , name where smart equipment might be located inside a home .
call back Samsung ’s Ballie ? The rotund automaton first revealed in 2020 has made a return at#CES2024.https://t.co / CCO8T1g0lHpic.twitter.com / OkrXr8jgiE
— TechCrunch ( @TechCrunch)January 8 , 2024
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Samsung ’s promising a lot beyond these basics , like automatic reminders to water plants around the house , access to distant medical service ( for aged household members ) and personalization depending on who the automaton senses nearby . “ With its progress - in front [ and ] rearward camera , [ Ballie ] can detect and analyze its surround and learn recur user patterns , ” Samsung continues in the wardrobe dismissal .
But the details of these — as with Ballie ’s availability and pricing — have yet to be tauten up .
The doubtfulness is , will any of these feature oblige householder to buy Ballie when — or if , rather — it reach grocery ? dwelling house golem have never been a jibe - dunk , as recentlydemonstratedby Amazon ’s attempt . Another promising attempt within the last few years , Mayfield Robotics , which hop to sell a dwelling house golem in partnership with Bosch , ceased operations before shipping a single unit to early customers .
Perhaps Samsung will fare better . We ’ll have to wait and see .
