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Smart doors, body-scanning mirrors: LG's vision for your home puts AI everywhere

At CES 2020, the Korean manufacturer delivered the latest on its lineup of connected appliances.

Ry Crist Senior Editor / Reviews - Labs
Originally hailing from Troy, Ohio, Ry Crist is a writer, a text-based adventure connoisseur, a lover of terrible movies and an enthusiastic yet mediocre cook. A CNET editor since 2013, Ry's beats include smart home tech, lighting, appliances, broadband and home networking.
Expertise Smart home technology and wireless connectivity Credentials
  • 10 years product testing experience with the CNET Home team
Ry Crist
2 min read
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Chris Monroe/CNET

It wouldn't be CES if the biggest brands in tech didn't take the stage to sell the world on their vision for the future. In LG's case, that vision could best be described as the Internet of Things on steroids, all driven by the continued evolution of artificial intelligence.

"I believe that this vision of AI innovation is meaningful because it enables us and encourages us to come up with more daring and innovative ideas for the future," said LG Electronics President and Chief Technology Officer Dr. I.P. Park at the company's CES 2020 presser.

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That means that you should expect the brand to continue taking big swings with flashy smart appliances that boast unique features -- a growing number of which will leverage cloud-connected, AI smarts. For instance, look for the newest SmartThinQ washers and dryers to use AI to automatically detect load sizes and select the correct cycles. If you're using too much detergent, they'll detect that, too, and let you know.

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First introduced last August, LG's newest fridges dish out clear, spherical ice on demand.

LG

Other features aim more for the intersection of convenience and luxury. One example: LG's newest InstaView refrigerators, which include a craft ice dispenser capable of dishing out clear, spherical ice on demand for your cocktails. There's a new InstaView oven coming this year, too -- just like the fridge, you can knock twice on the tinted window to light up the interior and see inside. The brand is adding an InstaView wine cooler to its LG Signature lineup of high-end appliances, too.

Other ideas offer a glimpse at what the company wants to move its customers toward. A Smart Door concept would take the video doorbell pitch and build it right into your front door, with facial recognition and a finger vein scanner providing biometric verification before letting anyone inside. A screen inside of the door would show you helpful info about traffic and weather conditions on your way out the door. Once you're gone and the house is empty, the door would send other ThinQ appliances into an energy-saving low power mode.

LG also brought a new ThinQ Fit smart mirror concept to Las Vegas this year. That one would use 3D cameras to map out your body for virtual fittings, style suggestions, and the offer to purchase new clothes. That's similar to the Naked Labs Body Scanner that we tested at the CNET Smart Home last year.

Our team on the ground will chase all of it down at LG's booth -- expect an update to this post with hands-on first impressions shortly.