For years, a small, spherical yellow robot named Ballie has been a fixture at Samsung's CES presentations, charming audiences with its promise of a helpful, AI-powered home companion. However, the dream of owning a Samsung Ballie appears to be rolling to a halt. Following its conspicuous absence from CES 2026 and a carefully worded corporate statement, industry observers now believe the long-anticipated consumer product has been shelved indefinitely, marking the end of a public-facing experiment that began in 2020.
The Disappearing Act at CES 2026
The most telling sign of Ballie's fate was its absence from the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2026. After making regular appearances since its debut, including controlled demos at CES 2025 that showcased voice interaction and video projection, the robot was nowhere to be found on Samsung's show floor. This silence spoke volumes, especially in a year where rivals like LG were actively promoting new robotic products. The absence suggested a strategic shift away from launching Ballie as a standalone consumer device, a suspicion later confirmed by the company's official communications.
Ballie's Development Timeline:
- CES 2020: First announced and demonstrated.
- CES 2024: Showcased with updated features like wall projection and home monitoring.
- CES 2025: Featured in controlled demos with voice interaction and video projection.
- Mid-2025: Google Gemini AI integration announced; a consumer launch was hinted for late summer.
- CES 2026 (January): Notably absent from Samsung's presentation, signaling the project's shelving.
Samsung's Official Statement: From Product to "Innovation Platform"
In response to inquiries from Bloomberg, Samsung provided a statement that effectively repositioned Ballie's role within the company. Rather than announcing a launch date or expressing regret for a delay, Samsung described Ballie as an "active innovation platform." The statement clarified that the project continues to inform Samsung's approach to "spatially aware, context-driven experiences," particularly in areas like smart home intelligence, ambient AI, and privacy-by-design. This corporate language strongly implies that the tangible robot hardware has been deprioritized, with its underlying research and development being absorbed into other, broader product categories.
Samsung's Official Positioning of Ballie (from statement to Bloomberg):
- Described as an "active innovation platform."
- Said to inform design in "spatially aware, context-driven experiences."
- Key influence areas: smart home intelligence, ambient AI, and privacy-by-design.
- No mention of a consumer product release or launch timeline.
Ballie's Long and Winding Road to Nowhere
Ballie's journey has been characterized by promising demonstrations followed by indefinite delays. First unveiled in 2020, it captured imaginations as a mobile home assistant and projector. It reappeared in 2024 with enhanced features like wall projection and home monitoring. The most significant push seemed to come in mid-2025 when Samsung announced a partnership with Google to integrate the Gemini AI platform, hinting at a potential launch by the end of the summer. That deadline passed without a product, and the CES 2026 no-show now serves as the likely endpoint for consumer hopes. The project served as a public testbed for ideas that proved too complex or costly to bring to market in its original form.
The Legacy: Technology Absorbed, Not Abandoned
While the Ballie robot itself may never reach store shelves, Samsung indicates the investment was not in vain. The technological insights gained from years of developing Ballie—its AI context-awareness, spatial computing, and privacy frameworks—are reportedly being channeled into existing and future products. This likely includes smarter, more aware robot vacuum cleaners and more integrated, ambient computing experiences within Samsung's SmartThings ecosystem. In this way, Ballie's spirit lives on, not as a singular product, but as foundational research that elevates the entire Samsung smart home portfolio, leaving its distinctive spherical form behind as a memorable CES relic.