Samsung and LG vie in smart control over home chores at IFA themed on hyperconnectivity

South Korean household appliance brands Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics dominating global premium TV and white goods market took home automation to new level with smarter and multiple-tasking through app command shown off at the IFA, Europe’s largest consumer electronics show running for five days from Friday (local time) in Berlin, Germany.

Hyper-connection which can enable users to control LG home appliances with Samsung’s home automation kit SmartThings and Samsung home appliances with LG ThinQ has become a central theme at this year’s event.

Omdia, a global market research firm, forecast that the global smart home market would grow to $178.5 billion by 2025 from $60.8 billion last year.

The first keynote speaker at IFA 2022 has been Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon instead of a chief of a home appliance maker. Amon would share his blueprint for the smart home era that is unfolding based on low-power and high-performance chips during his speech on Friday.

Samsung Electronics in a press showcase Thursday prior to the event opening introduced smart home platform SmartThings. The new system can perform higher-level tasks than before. For example, the connection between 'Samsung Health' and 'Cooking' service provides a personalized diet depending on target calories.

SmartThings can also automatically send optimal recipe information to the oven or induction cooker based on the ingredients stored in the refrigerator. The company’s pet care service uses the wireless vacuum cleaner 'Bespoke Jet Bot AI' to check the status of a pet alone in the house. When a pet leaves the house, it automatically tracks its location and sends an alarm to the pet owner.

Energy saving through device connection is also a key task in the era of hyper-connected home appliances. Under SmartThings Energy’s ‘AI Saving Mode’, the washer and dryer can be used with energy saved up to 70 percent and 20 percent, respectively.

Samsung has partnered with Hanwha Q Cells to connect solar power and home appliances. When cloudy weather is detected, home appliances are automatically operated in power-saving mode to reduce energy consumption. Samsung Electronics said its goal is to see consumers receive zero-electricity bill at home by linking solar power and home appliances.

LG Electronics is active to promote its smart home platform LG ThinQ at IFA 2022. The app is now in sync with Hej home, an Internet of Things (IoT) brand, following its connection with Apple HomeKit and Aqara. Hej home’s temperature and humidity sensors can be linked to the LG Whisen air conditioner through LG ThinQ, and this allows the air conditioner to maintain the indoor temperature automatically.

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