[Smart Electronics Story] They Know Without Saying... How Far Has Home Appliance AI Come?

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee]‘Agile Electronics Stories’ is a column that keenly examines small details about electronic and mechanical products and devices. From hot new products frequently appearing in advertisements and news, to nostalgic items, and puzzling product and industry terms and news, we will kindly cover them with the heart of a beginner.

When handling home appliances, you may have experienced moments thinking, ‘I wish someone else would do it for me,’ or ‘I wish it would just take care of itself.’ Recently, AI integrated into home appliances not only addresses what users find inconvenient but also anticipates and implements features that make life easier. Many evaluations suggest that the era of appliances taking care of things on their own has arrived. In this edition of 'Agile Electronics Stories,' we will look into various artificial intelligences (AI) embedded in home appliances and recent technologies.

"Hi LG, open the refrigerator door." LG Electronics announced that it will launch the 'Dios Ice Water Purifier Refrigerator' domestically on the 20th. When users say this, the AI recognizes the voice and automatically opens the refrigerator door. The refrigerator acts as part of an AI assistant that can turn off lights or play music by voice command. Voice control of the ice water purifier in the refrigerator is also possible. Additionally, through ‘LG InstaView ThinQ,’ it suggests recipes and ingredient orders.

Samsung Electronics’ Samsung ‘Family Hub’ refrigerator will also apply food AI to provide customized diets and recipes. Samsung has been steadily developing AI since 2016. This new product is expected to automatically recognize ingredients through the refrigerator and include a function for easy online grocery ordering.

In this way, AI in home appliances is developing both voice-responsive technology and autonomous operation technology. AI is also applied to TVs. Samsung Electronics’ 2020 model 'QLED 8K' features the 'AI Quantum Processor 8K' with deep learning technology. It includes 'AI 8K Upscaling,' which converts low-resolution videos to 8K-level quality, and 'AI Control,' which optimizes brightness and sound.

LG Electronics’ 2020 model 'LG OLED AI ThinQ' is equipped with the AI processor 'Alpha9 Gen 3,' based on deep learning technology. It analyzes over one million data points to detect video types and conditions. It also features ‘AI Picture Pro’ and ‘AI Sound Pro’ functions that enrich video and audio quality.

Air conditioners, washing machines, and dryers are also adopting voice recognition AI and AI systems that automatically adjust by reading lifestyle patterns. Samsung’s Wind-Free air conditioner, which previously only had the AI voice recognition platform ‘Bixby’ on stand-type models, has now applied it for the first time to wall-mounted wide models. Features such as ‘Welcome Cooling,’ which activates the air conditioner when the user approaches home, and ‘Intelligent Purification,’ which operates automatically by recognizing air quality, have been applied. LG Electronics also switches to maximum power-saving mode if no customer is detected through its 3rd generation AI Smart Care in new products. Among washing and drying machines, Samsung Grande AI washing machines combine ‘On-Device AI’ with cloud AI to learn consumers’ usage habits and patterns autonomously and provide customized services. LG Electronics’ AI DD washing machine detects the weight of clothes, uses big data to identify fabric types, and selects the optimal motion among ‘6 Motions,’ which is a distinctive feature.

As competition among home appliance companies expands not only in product design and technology but also in AI fields, home appliance AI technology is expected to advance to a higher level. AI reads users’ patterns to make household chores easier and relaxation more enjoyable. Regardless of TV, refrigerator, washing machine, or air conditioner, as home appliance AI technology develops simultaneously, future home appliance AI is expected to become a true personal assistant controlling all home appliances at once.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.