Whenever I volunteer to do laundry in my house, my wife tells me to wash my clothes separately, so that I don't mess up her delicates by accident. LG's new ThinQ front-loading washing machine and clothes dryer will potentially eliminate any pre-sorting mishaps, by using a combination of AI and sensors to adjust its various washing cycles on the fly. And, if you have the matching dryer, the washer will automatically transmit its data to the dryer, so your clothes don't accidentally end up a size too small.
Both the washer and dryer will be available in North America in the first half of 2020, though pricing has yet to be announced.
Like a typical washer, the LG ThinQ features a variety of presets, such as Heavy Duty, Bedding, Delicates, Permanent Press and so on. However, when the washer determines the type of fabrics in the machine—through sensors embedded in the drum, as well as the size of the load—it will tailor that preset accordingly, based on accumulated data from LG. The washer will also determine how much detergent is needed to properly clean the load.
The washer has a Wi-Fi connection, so it can send information about the load to a dryer. It also allows homeowners to create a custom washing cycle on LG's ThinQ app, which they can then download to the machine. The Wi-Fi connection can also be used in conjunction with Amazon's Dash Replenishment service to order more detergent, as well as LG Proactive Customer Care, which helps alert owners to potential issues with the washer or dryer.
We're curious to see how LG's AI performs in the real world. The company says it can make clothes last up to 15 percent longer. We suppose it can also make for more efficient energy use, too. And it means I'll be able to do more laundry.
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