LG is preparing to launch three premium appliances in South Korea featuring its HomeChat service, which will give users a whole new experience in the home. HomeChat will allow you to see the contents of your fridge remotely, start washing machine cycles from afar and pre-heat an oven without having to go into the kitchen.
The service is similar to Samsung’s Smart Home service and will let users control their appliances remotely. HomeChat works with LG’s latest appliances and sends messages via the Line messenger service. A simple message such as “start washing cycle”, will allow you to control your washing machine. The aim of this service is to simplify the use of appliances around the house, according to LG President and CEO.
The above mentioned appliances include the LG Smart Refrigerator, Smart Washing Machine and Smart Lightwave Oven. The Smart Refrigerator takes a picture of the contents using a wide-angle camera every time the door is opened, so you can always check if your running low on anything at home when you’re at the store. It also allows users to keep track of expiration dates and suggests recipes based on health requirements.
The Smart Washing Machine allows users to control it or monitor its progress via text messages. A simple text saying “what are you doing?” will let you know where the washing machine is in its current cycle. Washing programs can even be selected. The SmartLightwaveOven can preheat itself to the appropriate temperature based on what the user says they want for dinner. It can also suggest recipes as per the user’s preferences.
Once these appliances are launched successfully in South Korea, they are planned to be rolled out to other countries as well.