Business & Money | Thursday 25 May, 2017 7:16 am |

The concept of smart homes is finding its place in communities that are aspiring to move into the future with extra luxurious, safe, secure and convenient lifestyle. The awareness about connectivity and the importance of having smart homes has helped fill the gap that was once considered to be adopted very late due to the high cost for investors and tenants. In light of a tough competition to stay ahead, to provide more user-centric solutions to its customers, several companies are focusing their efforts to achieve this long-awaited dream.

Ever since the concept of smart homes is noticed and appreciated, creativity and innovation has taken a leap. While this trend has boosted the research and development and has the property developers excited, the architects and technology companies are busy contributing to the development processes. Looking at the pace at which the market is growing, it is expected that the smart home market will soon witness discounts and offers by companies supplying trendsetting smart services to introduce more homes to modern property projects.   

Despite the speed at which this trend is catching up with people, several questions arise, such as the importance of smart homes and whether it is a necessity or luxury? What are the benefits that can be obtained at environmental or economic levels? There are several indicators that point out at numerous benefits if such a concept is adopted. Architects with digital expertise have arrived at significant results if smart homes were expanded. These benefits include a considerable reduction in energy consumption to as low as 54%. The reduction in electricity consumption for air conditioning will save 25% of energy.  

According to a research made by Markets and Markets, the size of the world’s smart homes is expected to reach US$121.73 billion by 2022 which is inclusive of lighting, security and access, heating and cooling, entertainment, health care and kitchen. This represents an annual compound growth of 14% between 2016 and 2022.

Smart homes in future cities will depend on various systems that allow residents to remotely control lighting, protection, ventilation and other services in these smart living spaces through automation, which means linking various appliances and systems at homes and being able to control from anywhere, and as required. Smart systems can control the following: lighting, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, security and safety, energy saving and remote control via SMS.

While many companies are working hard to achieve this concept, LG is at the forefront of this concept of smart homes. It has already implemented the concept through its smart products which can change the future of homes. At the forefront of these products is Hub Robot and smart fridge. LG has also added the personal touch to its Hub which can express itself through a digital face, giving impressions and appearances at whoever is talking to it. 

As for smart home robots, LG made a remarkable progress with regards to artificial smart applications objects internet systems. Their products include home robots which offer additional functions, exceeding the regular tasks of robots. They are designed to work as a network gate for smart homes and smart notification center, adding more convenience to the everyday lives of users.

 

Hub Robots with their smart design take the concept of smart homes to a whole new level. As soon as they are linked to other home appliances, you can control them by simple voice commands to carry out home tasks such as operating the air conditioning system or changing the speed of clothes dryer, all based on a voice recognition technology from Alexa. It is supported with an interactive screen that display a wealth of information such as images of food items in the fridge or recipes of specific dishes with step by step voice directions for preparation. In addition, the robot offers entertainment and convenience such as playing music, setting the alarm, weather report and traffic updates.

With its friendly behavior and smart appearance, the Hub Robot interacts with all members of the family in various ways. It moves and rotates around itself as well as expresses its feelings through a face that it displays on its screen. It is designed to respond to body language such as nodding and headshakes when answering simple questions. It always records and absorbs activities and events in the home like identifying when a member of the family leaves the house and noticing their return and going to bed. Hub Robot can be tuned to distinguish between the faces of family members by its camera, it is programmable to greet each one of them in different ways that suit their age and personality.   

Hub Robot works best when it is placed in the communal areas of the home where all members of the family usually meet, such as kitchen or living room. LG plans to produce mini robots which work in coordination with the Hub Robot and spread throughout other areas of the house. They will be fitted with elegant screens which represent an extension of the Hub Robot functions and customized to perform various other tasks.