CES 2018: Tech giants name 2018 the year of the smart home, from connected fridges to toilets
ARTIFICIALLY intelligent appliances are about to change your life. Check out these mind-blowing tech inventions that will inevitably be in our future homes.
Gadgets
Don't miss out on the headlines from Gadgets. Followed categories will be added to My News.
IF WE could talk to appliances, just imagine it.
That’s what the world’s leading technology companies are asking us to do this year: talk to our televisions, take advice from our fridges, and even chat to our bathroom mirrors, wine racks, lamps, and door locks.
The trend is part of a push to add artificial intelligence to every corner of our homes, and even into the cars in our garages.
And, if these companies can achieve their ultimate goal, our newly capable homes could make our lives easier in ways even they cannot yet imagine.
Smart homes do not come without technical challenges, however, and security experts warn we’ll need to lock our residences with software as well as keys in future.
Smart homes and intelligent appliances dominated the agenda at the world’s biggest technology show this week, and became the centrepiece for presentations from Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Whirlpool and others at the Consumer Electronics Show.
LG Electronics US marketing vice-president David VanderWaal confidently proclaimed 2018 would be “the tipping point for the smart home and, more importantly, for the smart connected lifestyle”.
The company pledged to add artificial intelligence to every appliance it launched this year, from dishwashers to washing machines, air conditioners to air purifiers.
Combined with Google’s voice assistant, the new generation of whitegoods would let users quiz their ovens about when dinner would be ready, or ask their dryers when they could wear their clothes again.
The smart machines could even proactively help users, as in the scenario quoted by LG Electronics president IP Park.
“In the car, LG’s in-vehicle entertainment system can communicate with your home refrigerator to see if you need to pick up groceries after work,” he explained.
“And as you get closer to your home, it adjusts your home temperature, (and) your garage door automatically opens when you arrive.”
LG promised its washing machines would also be able to automatically recognise clothing styles and wash them accordingly, fridges would suggest recipes based on their contents, and the TV could be ordered to turn off when a show finished, saving you from falling asleep with the speaker still blaring.
Samsung will also double down on smart home technology this year, promising to bring connectivity seen in its popular Family Hub smart fridges to other machines around the home.
Samsung Australia home appliances director Jeremy Senior said consumers should expect internet connections in many everyday items this year.
“The connectivity will be available in washing machines, robot vacuum cleaners, and other key areas,” he said, though the company would stop just short of smart ovens.
Samsung Electronics smart appliances vice-president Sunggy Koo said the smarter devices would also be simpler to set up thanks to an overhaul of the company’s app, which will be relaunched as SmartThings.
“The smart home must be really considered otherwise it’s going to be hard to install, hard to use, and almost impossible to maintain,” Mr Koo said.
“There are people who say ‘oh, it’s too expensive’ but prices are coming down. We’re really focusing on the experience of the users and that will accelerate their adoption of smart home technology.”
As well as letting users direct their vacuum cleaners or query milk expiration dates with a voice command, Samsung’s SmartThings network will connect to devices from other manufacturers, including Ring’s video doorbell, Philips Hue lights, and Netgear security cameras.
There will be many more smart devices able to join them this year too, with halls of unexpectedly smart home products revealed at CES.
Whirlpool unveiled a connected microwave that could show cooking instructions for pre-packaged meals, for example, while Schlage showed off a deadbolt that could be locked with a smartphone command.
Other innovations included the Caveasy One connected wine rack that predicted when bottles were ready to be opened, the Hunter SimpleConnect ceiling fans that could be directed to spin with a voice command to the Google Assistant, and an unexpected line of connected bathroom products from Kohler, including a shower head, tap, and three bathroom mirrors that use Amazon’s Alexa.
“When people talk about smart homes, they always leave out the bathroom,” Kohler innovation practices director David Funk explained.
“We wanted to bring tech into the bathroom. Now you can talk to the mirror and ask it anything you would ask of an assistant.”
The mirrors also feature dimmable lighting, and motion sensors to determine when you’re nearby and gently light up the dark.
But security expert Paul Lipman, chief executive of BullGuard, warned that not all smart home devices had implemented strict security.
Many did not encrypt the data they transmitted, making it easier to intercept, he said, and users might not be able to tell if their devices had been compromised as they would with a computer.
“I talked to somebody last night who was manufacturing an internet-connected toilet and I said ‘well, where does the data go?’ and he simply couldn’t answer that question,” he said.
“There are no common standards around this today and so ultimately it’s left to have good sense on the part of the consumer ... or security providers.”
Mr Lipman said users should always ensure they changed devices’ default passwords and set strict security safeguards on this new generation of appliances, lest hackers gain control of their smartest furnishings.
5 BEST GADGETS FROM CES 2018
Samsung The Wall TV: This 146-inch television not only offers a bold new panel technology, Micro LED, but it can be installed tile by tile to suit the space in your lounge room.
Sony Aibo: This robotic puppy has been upgraded with OLED eyes and a webcam nose, but it’s the new sensors in its body that make it react when you pat it that makes this robot dog so darned cute.
LG ThinQ appliances: Samsung’s South Korean rival committed to adding smart, interactive features to all of its appliances this year and arriving home to a lit, cooled home has never seemed so close.
Razer Project Linda: This gaming company’s concept to run a laptop from a smartphone inserted into its body is not new but Razer’s version of the technology looks slick enough to impress.
DJI Osmo Mobile 2: This $209 lightweight gimbal can make your home movies look like epic films thanks to advanced stabilisation and a joystick to tilt and turn your Apple or Google smartphone smoothly. Out January 23.
Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson travelled to Las Vegas as a guest of Samsung.
Originally published as CES 2018: Tech giants name 2018 the year of the smart home, from connected fridges to toilets
‘Retro’ Gen Z trend baffles millennials
A growing number of young people are turning back the clock and purchasing nostalgic millennial-era devices.
Outdoor cinema bundle is good fun for under $300
There’s something nice about watching a movie on a big screen in the great outdoors with your family and friends. Just remember the mosquito repellent.
New iPhone feature will shock you
Your iPhone can now answer calls, hold for you, and translate in real time thanks to Apple’s wild new AI-powered iOS 26 update.
Changing rules for e-bikes and e-scooters: Your rights and what’s legal
Despite their many benefits, the rate of injuries and deaths linked to e-scooters and e-bikes has increased. And the rules differ everywhere you ride them across Australia.
Finally, I’ve found a reliable way of tracking my teen
It’s probably not what it’s designed for, but there’s something nice about being able to keep track of your teenager’s comings and goings.
Countdown to Aussie space dream begins
The countdown has begun for an Aussie company’s dream to lift-off into space and begin competing with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.