Background

As the company embarked on its first foray into the home robot market, a crucial challenge emerged – a lack of experience, reference points, and user data regarding user-robot interaction. Research revealed a critical, yet uncharted territory: building intimacy between users and robots.

Ballie was a project designed to bring a fresh perspective to the home robot industry, moving beyond its academic origins. Initially created for children’s interaction, the concept evolved to emphasize home care features. This project helped clarify the company’s vision by showcasing how its Smart Home solutions could deliver meaningful, human-centered benefits to users.

Role and achievement

• Led and managed the development process, enabling the team to complete the first MVP within 18 months.

• Presented the MVP to the CEO and secured approval for mass production.

• Pitched the product to C-level executives, resulting in its selection for the CES 2020 Keynote demo.

• Defined product features and concept details, conducted concept validation tests with 80 participants, achieving 71.3% validation of the concept.

Impact

The MVP prototype was delivered within a year and showcased at the CES 2020 Keynote, quickly gaining over 6 million views on YouTube. Ballie received international media coverage, appearing on various broadcasts, local TV shows, and newspapers. The mass production version is scheduled for rollout in Q4 of 2024.