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The fabulous appliances and smart home gear of Europe's massive tech show

An exciting look at the intelligent, app-connected and just plain impressive appliances we saw on parade at IFA 2016 in Berlin.

Brian Bennett
Brian Bennett is a former senior writer for the home and outdoor section at CNET.
Brian Bennett
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1 of 29 AEG

AEG SenseCook Oven

Every year all manner of home appliance manufacturers and technology companies from across the globe travel to Berlin for the IFA trade show. There they unveil and showcase their creations for the world to see and hopefully buy. Couldn't make the trip? Not to worry. Here's the best of the smart home tech we saw, beginning with this oven.

Designed to simplify the home cooking process, the SenseCook from Electrolux subsidiary AEG uses standard temperature probes and a clever interface to demystify meal prep.

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2 of 29 AEG

AEG 9000 Series Washing Machine

The AEG 9000 series is the company's latest flagship laundry product. AEG decked this washer out with loads of advanced technology, including Wi-Fi smarts and a water softener for gentler cycles.

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3 of 29 Electrolux

This laundry app hopes help out

The AEG 9000 series washer links to the My AEG mobile app, which provides extra laundry help.

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4 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

Bosch 360-degree Indoor Camera

Able to swivel a full 360 degrees around, the Bosch 360 indoor camera is like no ordinary security cam.

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5 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

A look into the Bosch 360's eye

The top of the cylindrical Bosch 360 Eye houses its camera lens. It can record HD video automatically when it detects movement or hunker down into its body when you'd like some privacy.

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6 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

Bosch AutoCook

Here's a multicooker appliance that really stands out. The Bosch AutoCook offers a large menu of cooking programs plus a printed book of recipes.

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7 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

Many ways to cook meals

The Bosch Autocook comes with 50 cooking programs baked right in.

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8 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

App offers culinary advice

A companion mobile app provides extra cooking help.

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9 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

Bosch Eyes Outdoor Camera

Equipped with a camera, light and motion sensor, the Bosch Eyes Outdoor camera acts as your front porch watchdog.

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10 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

Light to see who's there

If the Bosch Eyes Outdoor senses movement it can turn on its light to better transmit images and video to your phone.

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11 of 29 Bosch

Bosch OptiMum Kitchen Machine

The Bosch kitchen mixer includes a built-in scale to accurately measure your baking ingredients. The countertop appliance also boasts smart sensors that can automatically detect when your eggs or dough are mixed to the correct consistency.

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12 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

Bosch PerfectDry dishwasher

Here to rid the world of wet dishes is the Bosch PerfectDry. This dishwasher, the company claims, will always give you bone-dry tableware when the cleaning cycle ends.

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13 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

Controls on the door

The top edge of the Bosch PerfectDry dishwasher sports its control panel and display.

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14 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

Compact enough for tight spaces

Using a smaller format than full width dishwashers, the Bosch PerfectDry is compact enough to squeeze into tight kitchens. That's more of a concern here in Europe, where houses are smaller and apartments more common.

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15 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

Utensils go in the top rack

Even though it doesn't take up much room, the PerfectDry dishwasher makes room for a top rack exclusively for cleaning silverware and other utensils.

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16 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

Minerals inside to dry with speed

A special ingredient, a mineral called zeolite, helps the Bosch PerfectDry to remove moisture from tableware by the time the cycle is done. Apparently zeolite is ultra absorbent plus retains heat for increased water evaporation.

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17 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

Bosch Twinguard smoke detector

Inside the Bosch Twinguard smoke detector are not just one but two main sensors for sniffing out danger in the home. The gadget has a photoelectric smoke detector, a staple of traditional units, along with a nose for measuring air purity.

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18 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

This smoke detector looks hot

The Bosch Twinguard certainly doesn't look like your typical smoke detector from decades past. Matching its exterior, the home safety device is smart enough to talk to home Wi-Fi networks and supports IFTTT to communicate with a wider world of internet-connected household objects, products and platforms.

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19 of 29 Dyson

Dyson vacuum rolls, doesn't fall

Built with the same principle of an old "weeble" toy, the new Dyson Cinetic Big Ball vacuum cleaner may wobble but has a low center of gravity, so it won't fall.

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20 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

LG Smart Instaview Door-in-Door Fridge

Not to be outdone by Samsung, LG has unveiled its own smart refrigerator equipped with a huge touchscreen display. Called the Smart Instaview Door-in-Door, this fancy icebox can act like a gigantic tablet running the Microsoft Cortana voice assistant.

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21 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

A fridge with lots of windows

Essentially a refrigerator and personal computer in one appliance, the Smart Instaview runs the full Windows 10 operating system. As such you can view and interact with animated tiles, which represent software apps.

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22 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

Complete control over food chilling

Like other sophisticated refrigerators, smart or otherwise, LG's Smart Instaview allows you to set its internal temperature right down to single degree increments.

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23 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

Yes, it's a fridge too

Along with its impressive array of technology, the LG Smart Instaview Door-in-Door appliance's still keeps food and drink cold and fresh.

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24 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

Miele Blizzard CX1

Appliance maker Miele has traditionally been reluctant to jump on the bagless vacuum trend, citing poorer performance as its main reason. At IFA 2016, however, the company changed course and unveiled its first cyclonic upright vacuum, the Blizzard CX1.

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25 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

The canister upright vac updated

The Blizzard CX1 is a canister vacuum that uses an internal mono-cyclone design. According to Miele the approach relies on one tornado-like tunnel of air to trap dirt and dust as it vacuums.

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26 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

Revamped for quiet operation, power

On the outside, the angular design and flat surface of the Miele Blizzard CX1 harkens back to the 1980s when bagless vacuums first hit the market. On the inside, however, is an updated system which Miele says delivers more suction but less noise than current canister vacs.

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27 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

Get smart robotic vacuuming for much less

Priced at half what many other robot vacuum cleaners cost, the new Neato D3 Connected is certainly affordable. The budget robovac also boasts a Wi-Fi radio and links to a companion mobile app.

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28 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

More floor cleaning features and control

Top of the line, the Neato D5 Connected is the company's flagship robot vacuum model. Despite a reasonable price, the gadget is designed to sweep floors with laser precision and draws power from an advanced lithium-ion battery. The machine also connects to home Wi-Fi and can be control via a mobile app.

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29 of 29 Chris Monroe/CNET

Europe gets a slimmer Samsung smart fridge

Samsung brought a new version of its Family Hub Smart Fridge to Berlin too. This model is essentially half the size of the US product. Regardless, the appliance has all the internet-connected abilities of its large cousin -- albeit less room for groceries.

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