How much detergent does your washing really, truly need, and could you save money if the machine understood your clothes’ needs? That’s something LG has been thinking about, it seems.
Your next laundry machine might be thinking about things that matter to your laundry load, and that doesn’t just have to mean how many socks you’ll lose to the lint filter. Beyond cycle types, hot and cold washes, and delicate options, it appears that a degree of artificial intelligence is being imparted onto appliances, finding new ways to optimise how you use them.
The idea is specifically coming to a washing machine, and not one of the washer dryer combo units you can find. Granted, they are still available, but in recent years, the high-end models have moved away from the larger combo units. Rather, an independent washer and independent dryer are where the action is, and where the high-tech goodness is going lately.
For LG, the high-end appliances are part of the LG EzDispense range, a range announced earlier in the year arriving in Australia in the WV6 and the WV10 washing machines, and they look exactly like any other front-load washer you might have seen, though the difference may well be on the inside.
Fill up the detergent and fabric softener compartments and LG will use a form of artificial intelligence alongside weight and other attributes to work out how to care for the garments being washed.
“LG AI DD (Direct Drive) technology leverages an accumulated database of thousands of pieces of stored information relating to washer usage and applies drum movement sequences to the wash cycle, based on the weight and delicateness of the garments in the load,” said Shannon Tweedie, Marketing Manager for Home Appliances at LG in Australia.
“This helps to ensure that the optimal wash motions are applied for each cycle selected, ensuring an effective clean every time, with the added benefit of reducing clothing wear and tear,” she said.
In short, LG’s new machines aim to work out what you have in your laundry tub, and apply the right washing methods, something distinct from the usual clean cycles. Meanwhile, the LG’s EzDispense system loads in the liquid automatically so you don’t have to.
“Our latest auto-dosing washing machines gives the age-old chore of doing the laundry a level up,” said Tweddie. “This is a smart example of technology that not only delivers great results, but also frees Australians from the technical side of things.”
LG’s approach may not be entirely new, with Samsung dabbling in AI for its laundry machines in the past, as well. As to whether LG’s new machines will make laundry loads easier remains to be seen, but they’re available in stores now across Australia shortly from $999.
