LG has started rolling out a whole new range of smart appliances that are able to “chat”, according to the company. The collection of home assistants, due to launch shortly in South Korean before heading to other regions of the world, will be able to talk to users in a sense using the company’s HomeChat messaging service.
HomeChat will feature NLP (Natural Language Processing) and LINE, a messaging app “…to allow users to receive recommendations and control settings when away from home”. Long story short, users will be able to message their appliances and receive a response, given their devices instructions and generally control them remotely, all while feeling like they are “…chatting with a close friend.”
As to which appliances will want to get chummy with their users, LG has slated a smart fridge, washing machine and oven for the messaging/instruction treatment. The smart fridge will feature an interior camera that keeps tabs on its contents, letting users check what they’ve forgotten to pick up at the store remotely on a tablet or smartphone. It’s got a couple of other nifty features as well, like eating plan suggestions with the Health Manager and the ability to track expiration dates of the fridge’s contents.
The remaining pair, the stove and washing machine, will be able to pre-heat for specific meals and start a load of washing respectively based on a user’s commands when heading home for the day. The stove will suggest recipes to users while the washing machine will have downloadable washing cycle programs.
When will we see them here? Perhaps not for a while but expect them to cost an arm and a kidney when they do make landfall on the tip of Africa.