Samsung's 'Bot Handy' is there for all your personal needs, like pouring the vino

If you drink so much wine that you’re getting tired of pouring it yourself, you may need more than a robot’s help. But hey, technology is fun, and what could be more fun than having your own personal robot sommelier at your service?

Apparently Samsung had a similar thought, and that’s why they’re developing Bot Handy, a handy-dandy rolling robot with expressive eyes, an arm that pivots at three points, and a claw extension that can do the laundry, set the table, and help you cope.

Though the product is still listed as “in development,” Samsung showed off the Bot Handy today during the company’s first Digital Press Conference at CES 2021, which you can view below (the Bot Handy portion of the presentation starts at about the 18:30 mark).

While eerily waving at this “trusted partner,” Sebastian Seung, president of Samsung Research, describes the Bot Handy as “a home robot that can both recognize and grab objects, becoming an extension of you in the kitchen, in the living room, and anywhere else you may need that extra hand in your home.” Like the bar.

The bot can swivel and extend itself, while roaming freely around the room. It utilizes cameras on its head and hand, as well as AI to differentiate and recognize objects by their shape and material composition –– all the better to load your dishwasher, put away groceries, or choose between the vodka and the scotch. 

As far as other robotic teases, Samsung also presented a better look at the company's in development Bot Care personal assistant and companion, which was first teased at CES in 2019 (per The Verge). The friendly and flat-faced bot learns your habits and schedule (happy hour?) to take care of all the little things in your life, like reminding you when you’ve amassed too much screen time, while at the same time informing you that you have a meeting while conveniently bringing up the video chat on its screen interface.

And then once the interface goes back down, it looks stable and flat enough to set your drink on!

Together, “with AI as the core enabler for your better tomorrow,” these 'bots represent Samsung’s vision for the future: “Robotics and AI, adapting to you, and helping you do things more easily at home, and outside of it.” Like getting drunk.