LG Electronics has unveiled LG Smart Home, the company’s vision for the future connected household at IFA 2014.
Inside the Smart Home display at LG’s booth, visitors will learn how LG’s latest smart appliances and the LG HomeChat can provide users with convenience, control, connectivity as well as offer recommendations via a smartphone.
LG Smart Home is built around the idea of unifying multiple smart appliances into a single system. Via LG HomeChat, users can have integrated control of their smart home ecosystem, as well as intelligent time- and energy-saving modes such as Leaving Home, Coming Home or Vacation. To illustrate, if the user types Leaving Home into their mobile messenger, their LG smart refrigerator will automatically turn to Smart Power Saving mode. Typing "leaving home" also activates the HOM-BOT robotic vacuum cleaner’s Home Guard mode, a feature that enables the cleaner to detect if somebody enters the house, capture images of its immediate surroundings and send them directly to the user’s smartphone.
LG Smart Home is compatible with existing open platform smart home systems, as well as appliances and devices from different manufacturers through open protocols such as AllJoyn, the open source software sponsored by AllSeen Alliance. AllJoyn keeps users informed of their LG smart appliances’ operational status so as soon as the washer has completed a load, for example, the user will automatically receive a notification on their LG Smart+ TV featuring webOS. LG Smart Home will also integrate with products from Nest which will launch in North America later this year.
The LG Smart Home encompasses three separate but interrelated themes. The first, Supreme Trust covers home monitoring, energy management and Smart Diagnosis. The second, Thrilling Burst, refers to LG’s Smart Hi-Fi Audio Wireless Multi Room system while the third, Eminent Conversation, comprises tailored recommendations and useful one-touch modes including Vacation, Leaving Home, Grocery Shopping and Coming Home.
LG’s smart refrigerator has several features such as Smart View, Smart Power Saving and Smart Manager. Smart View employs the first built-in internal refrigerator camera to allow users to see the content of the refrigerator using a smartphone or tablet. Every time the fridge door is opened, the camera captures images of the interior shelves. Users can check these images through HomeChat to assess what they need to buy while they’re at the supermarket.
Smart Power Saving reduces energy consumption at times when the unit is not being accessed, such as during sleeping hours or vacation. Meanwhile, Energy Monitoring helps users to keep track of how much energy the smart refrigerator is using and how many times its doors have been opened.
The Smart Manager also transforms the refrigerator into a food management system with the Recipe Search function which presents the user with a variety of tasty meal options based on the items stored in the refrigerator. Another new feature called Photo Album lets users send pictures taken on their smartphones to the refrigerator’s display so they can share their favorite images with family members in the kitchen.
The LG smart washing machine is equipped with several smart technologies. Guided Laundry can recommend and automatically apply the optimal settings for any type of laundering scenario. For example, for orange juice spills, simply texting "remove juice stains" on HomeChatTM will initiate One Touch Washing to prescribe the appropriate course of action.
The Energy Monitoring feature lets users compare how much energy the washer is consuming each month and displays the level of energy used by individual washing courses. Through the Download Cycle function, users can download a wide range of washing courses ? families with infants can select the Baby Wear course while fitness types can install the Gym Clothes course.
Using Wi-Fi, NFC tagging and audible diagnosis, LG’s Smart Diagnosis alerts the user of technical issues. The smart LG washing machine also notifies the user when the drum needs cleaning. What’s more, customers can remotely control and monitor their LG smart washing machine from almost any location.
The new Home Guard feature enables the HOM-BOT SQUARE robot vacuum to monitor the home while the owner is away. If the unit senses any movement, its integrated cameras will automatically take photos of the room and send them to the homeowner’s smartphone. Another feature, Home View, lets users control the smart vacuum cleaner with their smartphones from anywhere.
Thanks to HomeChat and Recipe Search, homeowners can ask their smart LG oven to recommend recipes for specific dishes. Once the user has made their selection among recommended recipes, the oven will set the temperature and cooking time for that particular dish. Furthermore, the user can check the status of cooking by the Oven Monitoring feature. Users not only can receive alerts on their smartphones when new recipes become available and can also design their own recipe for saving.
Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics, is also expected to unveil an update to its own smart home service, adding four new functions ― safety service, energy monitoring, location recognition and voice control ― during the IFA fair this year.