Samsung has recently announced that it has expanded its partnership with Google Cloud. This partnership integrates Gemini, Google Cloud’s generative AI tech to Ballie, Samsung’s ball-shaped personal assistant robot.
First introduced at CES 2020, Ballie is a compact robot equipped with cameras, sensors, and AI capabilities that enable it to autonomously navigate a home, interact with smart devices, and provide personalized support. Since then, Ballie has received several upgrades. In its latest version, Ballie is now equipped with a built-in projector, speaker, and microphone, positioning it as a more capable and interactive home companion.
Ballie’s newest features enable it to enhance daily routines: it can project workout videos, play music, answer calls. It also provides peace of mind when users are away by sending video updates of pets or loved ones.
This is not Samsung’s first venture into personal robots. At CES 2019, Samsung introduced a lineup of robot assistants under the Samsung Bot lineup:
- Samsung Bot Care can monitor a user’s vital signs with built-in sensors and send health updates to family members.
- Samsung Bot Air helps maintain indoor air quality by detecting pollutants and purifying the air
- Samsung Bot Retail is tailored for customer service environments.
At CES 2021, Samsung unveiled the Samsung Bot Handy, designed to navigate home environments. Bot Handy can recognize and manipulate objects, assisting with tasks like setting the table or organizing items. While earlier versions could only handle one object at a time, recent updates have enhanced its ability to manage multiple tasks by better analyzing its surroundings.
Samsung’s innovations in robotics is also reflected in its patent portfolio. In this article, we took a closer look at the different patent applications behind Samsung’s Ballie. We also take a deeper look into Samsung’s patenting activity in robotics.
Samsung’s Patents in Robotics
Beyond showcasing prototypes at CES, Samsung has also been actively patenting its innovations in robotics. Samsung has been a leader in patenting as shown in our 2024 U.S. Patent Roundup Report, but for this article, we are focusing on Samsung’s patenting activity in robotics. The figure above shows the 10-year patenting activity of Samsung related to robotics. Samsung’s patenting activity in this space peaked in 2016, likely because the company was in the early phase of exploring robotics-related innovations. During the European Forum in 2016, Samsung focused on home appliances but has also announced its robot vacuum lineup.
Analysis of Samsung’s legal representatives reflecst a mix of Korean, U.S., and international law firms. The top firms, Y.P. Lee, Mock & Partners and Yoon & Lee International Patent & Law Firm, are based in South Korea, where Samsung is headquartered. These are followed by Jefferson IP Law and The Farrell Law Firm, both located in the U.S., suggesting Samsung’s active patent filing in the U.S., as noted in our previous report. Meanwhile, firms such as HGF Limited and Nederlandsch Octrooibureau have also played key roles in Samsung’s patenting efforts in Europe.
Samsung Robotics: Key Technology Areas
The majority of Samsung’s patent filings in robotics fall under the G10L-15/22 classification, which describes procedures used during a speech recognition process. This reflects Samsung’s focus on inventions that combine speech processing methods with robotic systems, allowing assistive robots to respond to voice commands.
Samsung’s focus on connected environments
These technology areas show Samsung’s goal of building smart, interactive robots that work smoothly within connected environments. Complementing the speech recognition classification, publications under G06F-003/16/7 and G06F-003/0488 describe user interfaces, such as voice- and gesture-based inputs via touchscreens or digitizers, enhancing the interactivity of service robots.
Machine learning also plays a critical role, as reflected in G06N-003/08, G06N-020/00, and G06N-003/045. These classifications describe adaptive systems and neural networks to make robots smarter and more responsive. Lastly, H04W-072/23, H04L-005/00/53, and H04W-004/80 describe wireless connectivity and are essential for coordinating actions between robots and other smart devices.
The patents behind Samsung’s Ballie
In 2023, it was reported that Samsung has filed robotic related patents such as walking assistance devices and pet walking assistants. The robot for pets has a round shape and moves on two wheels. It can follow pets around and track them in real time. Using a built-in camera and microphones, it observes pet behavior and listens to their sounds. This helps it understand pets’ emotions and respond to their needs or share updates with owners. The design for the pet robot has been highlighted in the U.S. Design Patent 1047307.
Although initially designed as a pet walking assistant, the ‘307 design has an almost identical design to Samsung’s home robot, Ballie.
Agile locomotion and terrain awareness
In a patent application titled “Small robot capable of running and control method thereof”, Samsung introduces a compact robot engineered to conquer uneven terrain using adaptive wheels and sensors. The wheels can rotate around multiple axes and adjust their positions, helping the robot climb over obstacles while maintaining balance.
The robot uses LiDAR or cameras to scan its path which aids in detecting obstacles. Based on sensed data, the robot may adjust wheel positions to improve traction. With a height under 30 cm and pre-loaded maps for smart pathfinding, it’s a compact solution for indoor and outdoor navigation.
U.S. Pat. App. No. 2024/0036576 lists Baeseok Lim, Donghan Koo, and Woosub Lee as inventors. This patent application is represented by Sughrue Mion.
Similarly, the patent application titled “Robot and controlling method thereof” describes a spherical home robot with dual drive wheels and time-of-flight sensors located in different areas within the robot near the drive wheels that allow it to update its position in real time, even when navigating inclines or unstable surfaces. A tilt sensor ensures accuracy, allowing the robot to adjust its map and behavior based on environmental changes. The position calculations derived from strategically positioned time-of-flight and tilt sensors effectively address the inaccuracies found in conventional position determination methods employed by robots.
U.S. Pat. App. No. 2023/0297115 lists the following inventors: Jinwon Kim, Keunchan Oh, Chanho Yoon, Kyunghun Jang, and Youmin Ha. This patent application is also represented by Sughrue Mion in the U.S.
Signal-tracking and spatial interaction
Going beyond simple object avoidance, the patent filing titled “Moving robot” reveals a mobile robot equipped with an ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna array designed to locate and approach external smart devices.
Unlike traditional robots that rely on fixed directional antennas, this robot uses a UWB antenna array placed at the topmost part of its body to ensure clear signal transmission and reception in all directions.With this configuration, the robot can determine both direction and distance of signal sources, such as wearables or home appliances. The robot also includes shielding components like a radio frequency absorber and a metal divider to reduce signal interference inside its body.
In everyday use, this robot can interact with pets through their wearable devices, communicate with household appliances, and even act as a mobile hub for smart home management.
U.S. Pat. App. No. 2023/0112269 was filed on August 10, 2022. Staas & Halsey LLP represents Samsung in this patent filing and the inventors listed are Taegyu Kim, Yeonsik Yu, Kyounghoon Lee, and Kwangmo Yang.
Context-aware and mode-adaptive robotics
Robots are also becoming smarter in how they behave depending on their environment. The robot invented by Hyomuk Kim, Woojeong Kim, Jewoong Ryu, Aron Baik, and Mideum Choi and is described in U.S. Pat. App. No. 2024/0036585 titled “Robot device operating in mode corresponding to position of robot device and control method thereof” switches between different functional modes based on its physical position.
Initially, it operates in a “first mode” when positioned on the floor. Once picked up by a user and placed in a different position, such as on a flat surface higher than the floor, the robot switches to a “second mode.” In the second mode, it may execute different tasks, depending on whether it can move around the new location or if it needs to perform stationary tasks.
Additionally, the robot can identify its location using sensor data, including speech recognition, and can adjust its actions based on its surroundings. If the robot can’t move to a requested location, it will ask the user to reposition it.
U.S. Pat. App. No. 2024/0036585 was filed on August 21, 2023. The inventors behind this patent application are Hyomuk Kim, Woojeong Kim, Jewoong Ryu, Aron Baik, and Mideum Choi. Sughrue Mion represents Samsung in this patent filing.
“Projecting” the future of interactive entertainment
In addition to the assisting capabilities of robots, Samsung’s patent filing titled “Electronic device and control method thereof” details a robot equipped with a projector that can automatically adjust the direction in which it presents images or video.
Initially, the projector displays an image in a specific direction, but when a certain event occurs, it can shift the position to another direction. The robot uses built-in sensors to analyze posture and environmental context, capturing the surrounding area and allowing the system to identify suitable projection surfaces, such as walls, ceilings, or floors.
The device is designed to be highly interactive. It can detect a user’s gestures, gaze, posture, or voice commands and respond by changing the projection area accordingly. For example, if the user looks in a certain direction or speaks a command, the system can project the image there. Additionally, the device can display user interface windows in designated areas when the user needs to adjust settings or playback options.
WO2025071029A1, which was published April 2, 2025, lists Jiyeon Ma, Seungbin Oh, Eunjin Lee, Donghun Kang, and Youngah Lee as inventors. This patent application is represented by Tae-Hun Kim.
