Smart 'AI' Products Become the Trend in Home Appliances

[Asia Economy Reporter Su-yeon Woo] Recently, as home appliances incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) technology have been released one after another, a strong 'AI craze' is sweeping through the home appliance industry. Products in which machines independently learn users' usage patterns and provide solutions on their own are gaining popularity.

According to the industry on the 4th, Samsung Electronics' robot vacuum cleaner sales increased more than fourfold year-on-year until the end of August after the release of the 'Bespoke Jet Bot AI' at the end of April. Among them, the Bespoke Jet Bot AI accounted for 60% of total sales.

The Bespoke Jet Bot AI uses advanced AI technology to accurately recognize the structure of the house, furniture, and appliances, quickly mapping the space and implementing differentiated autonomous driving capabilities based on this. It also three-dimensionally detects and avoids obstacles such as towels, socks, wires, and pet waste, which were difficult for previous Samsung robot vacuum models to recognize, as well as small objects as tiny as 1㎤.

After cleaning, the main unit returns to the 'Clean Station' to start charging and automatically empties the dustbin using air pulse technology that utilizes air pressure differences. Additionally, by applying the 'SmartThings Pet' service, it records and shows the daily life of pets at preset times and locations, and detects and notifies users of abnormal behaviors such as excessive barking or prolonged inactivity of pets inside the house.

Samsung Electronics Bespoke Jet Bot AI / Photo by Samsung Electronics

LG Electronics has equipped its new kimchi refrigerator with the industry's only and first 'AI Customized Storage' function. This feature goes beyond simply storing kimchi at preset temperatures for each mode; the refrigerator recognizes the packaged kimchi purchased by the customer and ripens it appropriately at the optimal temperature and time. After first introducing this function last year with CJ CheilJedang's Bibigo and Daesang's Jongga brands, it has expanded this year to include Pulmuone, totaling nine packaged kimchi brands.

For example, when a user scans the barcode on the packaged kimchi with the LG ThinQ app on their smartphone, the refrigerator recognizes it, inputs the manufacturing date, and selects the 'ripening' mode. Then, based on an algorithm for ripening that considers the brand, type, and manufacturing date of the kimchi, the refrigerator automatically sets the appropriate temperature and time for the packaged kimchi.

Considering the increasing trend of kimchi purchases, LG Electronics has been jointly researching optimal kimchi ripening algorithms with major food companies such as CJ CheilJedang, Daesang, and Pulmuone, and plans to continuously expand the types of packaged kimchi supported by the AI customized storage function.

LG Electronics Dios Kimchi Tok Tok new product equipped with AI customized storage function / Photo by LG Electronics

Recently, leading domestic home appliance brands such as Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are focusing on AI business at the group level. Samsung Electronics was recognized as the company that filed the most AI-related patents globally from January last year to June this year, while LG Group established the 'LG AI Research Institute' at the end of last year, concentrating on securing related core technologies and talent.

An industry insider said, "The introduction of AI technology is creating a new wave in the home appliance industry, which values convenience," adding, "In the future, securing AI technological capabilities will be an important indicator determining the industry's landscape."

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