If you thought that there was no more room for smart devices, LG has just the thing.
Today at CES, LG unveiled their smart home appliance line that uses their smart technology called LG THINQ. The appliances include a smart oven, a smart refrigerator, a smart washer/dryer combo and a smart robotic vacuum cleaner.
LG is pushing five new technologies in their home appliance line – Smart Grid, Smart Diagnosis, Smart Access, Smart Adapt and Food Management. LG claims that this software will let homeowners control and manage refrigerators, washing machines, ovens and robotic vacuum cleaners via a smart network.
“We’re excited to add home appliances to our largest ever line-up of total LG innovations ever to be shown at CES,” Young-ha Lee, President and CEO of LG Electronics Home Appliance Company, said. “By drawing on LG’s latest IT and mobile technology, our smart appliances promise to be real game changers, offering a big leap forward in convenience and efficiency.”
Smart Grid programs washing machines to do the washing at the most cost-effective times. The oven also taps into the smart grid to offer cost options that take into account the duration and electrical cost of the cooking. The refrigerators can also adjust their temperatures to take advantage of decreased energy rates.
Smart Diagnosis will take notice of anything that goes wrong with a home appliance. Take for example if the refrigerator door is left open, the appliance will notify the owner on its display panel. In later models, this will be done via Wi-Fi and send a message to the owner’s smartphone or tablet PC.
Smart Diagnosis will also be able to pinpoint exactly what’s wrong in case of a serious malfunction. It will allow service technicians to know exactly what’s wrong to save time and money.
Smart Access allows users to oversee their household chores regardless of their location. Through smartphones or tablet PCs, they can see the time left on food in the oven or check the temperature and contents of the refrigerator. It will even allow users to instruct their robotic vacuum cleaner to clean or watch over the house.
Smart Adapt downloads the latest options for the appliances, included pre-programmed recipes or washing cycles that best fit the user’s lifestyle. Food management goes hand-in-hand with Smart Adapt by letting users keep track of everything in the fridge and when it expires.
These smart appliances came out of nowhere and LG surprised everybody with this announcement. After the initial shock value sank in though, it makes sense. These are all excellent ideas that will make people’s lives easier. Now we just wait until our appliances start refusing orders and begin the robot revolution.