Bali on Samsung made waves at CES 2020 as a concept for a home robot that could one day walk around your home. In 2024, Samsung brought it back to CES to share that it is giving the device a projector that can transmit information and the contents of various surfaces. On CES 2025 in Las Vegas, is taking things a step further and announcing that it will actually ship the rolling robot this year in the US.
We don't have a price or a release timeframe yet, but during a presentation, the Wall-E-The robot is able to share information about Las Vegas attractions, turn on lights and various smart home products with voice command, and project the movie Uncharted on a nearby wall.
Asking Bali to “make the screen bigger”, the circular robot turned around and found another wall on which to project a larger image. The device has built-in speakers for sound.
In addition to voice controls, Bali also recognizes your “foot presses” on a virtual button to complete a task, such as saying “OK” or “show me more.” An array of cameras and sensors make this virtual interaction possible. After being presented with two wines and asked which would pair better with a steak, Bali was able to use your “leg pressers” to ask further questions and ultimately make a recommendation.
Samsung isn't the first company to try to bring robots into the home. In the last few years, Amazon has sold its Astro Home Robot which is powered by Alexa and can move around the home, but today it's selling the $1,600 device by “exclusive invitations” only. LG has has similarly shown ambitions for domestic robots at the previous CES, but it's unclear when or if those products will ever be available.
Even Apple is rumored to be expanding into the smart home, with a report last year suggesting the company was looking at the space. More recent rumors claim that Apple may share more news about new smart home products as soon as March.