The CES, the high mass of tech which is traditionally held at the very beginning of the year in Las Vegas in the United States, is an ideal event to test the public’s reception of certain products that are off the beaten track. And this year, LG seems to have let go of its R&D offices since the South Korean unveiled its CineBeam Cube 4K picoprojector and its DukeBox vacuum tube enclosure, two already very original projects. But there was still something new in the pipeline, even more surprising: the Smart Home AI Agent.
Impossible not to think of Star Wars robots (notably BB-8 but especially BD-1, Cal Kestis’ companion in the game Jedi Fallen Order) by discovering the Smart Home AI Agent. Indeed, this very expressive robot, thanks to its screen which serves as an organ of vision, would have its place in a science fiction film, if only because of its means of movement; two legs at the ends of which we find wheels. This allows it to navigate within the home, because the Smart Home AI Agent does not just manage the connected home in an impersonal way; he must fulfill the role of butler. According to LG, the Smart Home AI Agent is able to interact with the inhabitants of the home by understanding the context of the conversation and the intentions of its interlocutors. All this is made possible by extensive use of artificial intelligence and deep learning.
Like the domestic assistants that we already know, it also knows how to communicate with connected devices in the home such as TVs or smartphones of course, but also large household appliances such as refrigerators or ovens. Let us point out that it is very likely that the surveillance equipment (cameras, alarms, intrusion detectors, etc.) will also be connected to the Smart Home AI Agent, itself already equipped with multiple sensors (temperature, humidity, quality of the air…). These features will allow it to adjust the temperature in the house or activate the air filtration systems before the inhabitants of the home return, for example.
According to LG, the Smart Home AI Agent is capable of patrolling the home and turning off connected devices that are not in use. It also sends notifications to the user if it detects window open or lights on. The manufacturer also specifies that its robot can be used to monitor domestic animals and, why not, entertain them while their owners are away: we hope that Médor will not chew the robot too hard.
But will we still need pets? Indeed, one of the missions of the Smart Home AI Agent is to welcome the residents of the home when they come home, waiting for them at the door. Still according to the manufacturer, it is able to recognize the mood of its owners by analyzing the tone of their voice and their facial expressions before offering them suitable music, films or podcasts. And like any self-respecting domestic assistant, the Smart Home AI Agent provides various useful information on a daily basis such as traffic conditions, weather forecasts, the day’s schedule, etc.
The first brick of the “Zero Labor Home” according to LG
As endearing (or disturbing, as you wish), LG’s Smart Home AI Agent is above all one of the major components of the “Zero Labor Home”, which could translate into effortless home. The idea is to completely free the user from household chores, but also from worries related to the settings of different devices. According to Lyu Jae-Cheol, president of LG’s home appliances and air treatment business, “Smart Home AI Agent combines innovative travel technologies, artificial intelligence and advanced communication capabilities to help the user free themselves from household chores.“
For the moment, neither marketing date nor price have been communicated.