Samsung might have even bigger plans for the wearable market in 2024 than the Galaxy Ring. The company is supposedly planning to unveil its Apple Vision Pro competitor before the end of 2024, and one new report from Korea even says that the company is already strategizing the production of the Bot Fit wearable robot.
Let's back up for a moment. Samsung's assistive wearable robot, previously known as GEMS Hip, was first revealed at various 2019 trade shows. GEMS Hip was, or is, meant to be more of a medical device — an exoskeleton type of wearable for people who might need to improve motor skills — rather than a fun Samsung Health accessory for fitness enthusiasts.
So far, however, the GEMS Hip hasn't materialized into a commercial product, and rumors about its release seem to be fading away and making a comeback year after year. The last time we heard about this wearable robot, Samsung supposedly renamed GEMS Hip to Bot Fit.
All things considered, it's probably wise to take all this new information about the so-called Bot Fit with a pinch of salt. But for what it's worth, reports from Korea (via ETNews) now say that Samsung plans to manufacture an initial batch of fewer than 100,000 Bot Fit units, with production scheduled for mid-2024.
Twice as many rumored units as two years ago
If what this new report says is true, Samsung completed product development for the Bot Fit in 2023. The company will supposedly push Bot Fit into mass production in the second or third quarter of 2023 and announce/release the assistive robot in Q4 2024.
An initial batch of 100,000 units isn't much, but it is twice as many units as rumored in 2022 when the Korean media reported that the initial batch could consist of 50,000 GEMS Hips. Needless to say, those alleged plans Samsung had for GEMS Hip in 2022 didn't come to pass.
It's clear that the future of this wearable robot remains uncertain, but now that Samsung is ready to enter new product categories with the Galaxy Ring and its unannounced XR headset, it seems like GEMS Hip / Bot Fit rumors are picking up steam again. As usual, though, nothing seems set in stone yet, and only time will tell if this so-called wearable robot will indeed enter mass production within the next few months.
Image Credit: Samsung
