LG is expected to unveil new technology at CES 2011 that would allow you to control your home appliances using your smartphone or tablet. Appliances controlled by this new technology, dubbed Thinq, include ovens, refrigerators, washing machines and even a HOM-ROT robotic vacuum cleaner. Similar to Rosie the robot of the Jetson’s cartoon, the HOM-BOT robot will reportedly clean your house, feed your pet and even has a remote viewing function to let you watch your house while you are gone. According to LG, this is only the beginning of its Thinq technology. The Korean company plans to add new appliances and new ways of controlling them in the future.
The system requires owners to have a Thinq-compatible appliance and a compatible smartphone. The appliance connects via WiFi to an access point or router and then connects to a smartphone or tablet. Communication between appliance and smartphone is two-way. The appliance can send updates to a smartphone as well as receiving incoming commands. For example, a washing machine could send an alert when the spin cycle is done or a refrigerator could alert you when the freezer door is open. Details on the mobile OS powering this system is not know, but it is presumably Android.
Refrigerators will be getting a healthy dose of this technology with features beyond a simple adjustment in temperature. Keeping track of food inventory is one value-added feature that will be incorporated into refrigerators. Initially, this inventory tracking will be done manually with the owner using a touch interface or voice recognition system to add and remove food items as they are bought and consumed. Refrigerators and other appliances with this Thinq technology will also be able to watch energy usage and associated costs. These energy reports can be sent to your tablet or phone and will let you track the efficiency of an appliance over time.
[Via PC World]