[Interview] Leading Innovation With AI-Powered, Smart Home Appliances [Samsung Home Appliances Core Tech Part 3]

“Home appliances must evolve and expand to keep up with the times. Taking a step further from the tradition of reducing the burden of household chores, we must now focus on improving quality of life by enabling connected appliances to be more autonomous. The keys to achieving this are sensors and usage data.”

– Moohyung Lee, EVP and Head of the Customer Experience Team, Digital Appliances (DA) Business at Samsung Electronics

Home appliances have long helped alleviate the burden of household chores. With the emergence of new, more advanced technologies, the industry has begun to develop products that add new levels of convenience to lives and perform according to user preferences.

Building off this, appliances that operate autonomously within a connected environment emerged to satisfy new consumer expectations. Many industry leaders showcased these advancements at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) — the world’s largest consumer electronics and information technology exhibition held in Las Vegas.

Samsung Electronics envisions its Core Tech principles to drive the evolution of home appliances for the future. In the final installment of this series, Samsung Newsroom met with Moohyung Lee, EVP and Head of the Consumer Experience Team, Digital Appliances (DA) Business at Samsung Electronics, to learn more about the philosophy and development of Samsung’s home appliances.

▲ Moohyung Lee, EVP and Head of the Consumer Experience Team, Digital Appliances (DA) Business

“Core Tech is the driving force behind Samsung’s home appliances. Through Core Tech, users will get a glimpse into a future powered by unique, cutting-edge innovations.”

Redefining Daily Life With Core Tech

Technological breakthroughs have revolutionized life at home, making users’ lives more convenient and shifting lifestyle habits. The invention of the refrigerator improved food quality and led to a significant drop in illnesses caused by spoiled food. Meanwhile, the distribution and adoption of washing machines dramatically reduced time spent on laundry — enabling people to pursue work opportunities outside the home.

▲ Creating the basis of Samsung’s home appliances, the Core Tech values are represented by four themes: Outstanding, AI-Powered, Flexible Use and Durable & Sustainable.

Samsung has been at the forefront of home appliance development for over half a century, redefining home experiences to lead market innovation. The company’s four Core Tech values — “Outstanding,” “AI-Powered,” “Flexible Use” and “Durable & Sustainable” — are guiding the company’s developmental direction.

“We have been designing Outstanding technologies to minimize or eliminate obstacles faced by users,” said Lee. “Samsung appliances are transforming the home experience by reducing discomfort and enhancing usability.”

Samsung’s industry expertise has changed the paradigm of home appliances — making once unimaginable possibilities a reality. AI Ecobubble™ in washing machines offers optimized and energy-efficient laundry performance. Air conditioners equipped with WindFree™ Cooling set the standard for cooling homes without blowing cold air directly. Refrigerators and freezers with Twin Cooling Plus™ minimize temperature fluctuation through independently regulated interiors. The Clean Station™ of the Bespoke Jet™ AI cordless vacuum automatically empties the dust bin after cleaning.

▲ Samsung unveiled the new Bespoke Jet Bot Combo™ and Bespoke Jet™ AI at CES 2024. Samsung’s Core Tech philosophy was applied to revamp the way users clean their homes.

Catering to Diverse Lifestyles by Offering New Personalized Experiences

Creating space-saving, compact machines that are both high performing and energy efficient has been a common challenge for home appliance brands. Samsung has developed appliances that go beyond these limitations — producing machines that can be adjusted to users’ needs or environments.

Samsung aims to create product designs that allow for personalization and reflect the Flexible Use value of Core Tech. The Dual Cook Flex™ Oven enables two dishes to be simultaneously cooked at different temperatures. Other examples of flexibility include the Bespoke AI Laundry Combo™, giving users the ability to wash and dry clothes from a single machine, as well as Bespoke refrigerators that offer customizable exterior panels.

▲ The Dual Cook Flex™ Oven interior can be divided into two spaces to cook food at different temperatures at the same time. The door can also be partially or fully opened.

▲ The Bespoke Laundry allows users to stack their machines or install them side-by-side. The Bespoke AI Laundry Hub™ combines the functionality of both a washer and dryer into a slim single-unit design. The Bespoke AI Laundry Combo™ offers users an All-in-One laundry experience by enabling washing and drying from one machine.

“We continuously research and develop new features that will align with different lifestyles,” said Lee. “Samsung home appliances proudly embody the Flexible Use value as they provide users with customized experiences according to their needs and preferences.”

While home appliances are built to be long-lasting, there is concern that these products or features may become outdated and unable to adequately adapt to users’ lifestyles. To address this, Samsung has worked to create appliances that not only withstand the test of time but also keep up with users’ fast-changing lives.

▲ Lee explained how Core Tech guides the evolution of Samsung’s home appliances.

“When developing, we must consider both the present and future needs of users,” he said. “To achieve this, we have concentrated our efforts on the Core Tech value of Durable — ensuring product longevity while also improving the hardware and software over time.”

As a testament to durability, Samsung utilizes the latest technologies and industry practices to extend the lifespan of its home appliances. The company offers a warranty for essential machine components such as digital inverter motors or compressors to keep products in top condition. On the other hand, Samsung has created Bespoke products with interchangeable external panels so that product exteriors don’t go out of style.

Thanks to its upgraded product-to-product connectivity, SmartThings — the company’s integrated and expansive home ecosystem — enables users to run diagnostics on their appliances, resolve issues and update their machines with the latest software.

In addition, the Core Tech value of Sustainable reflects the company’s commitment to helping users easily reduce their impact on the planet and accomplish household chores eco-consciously. The Less Microfiber™ Cycle and Filter, developed in collaboration with outdoor clothing brand Patagonia, reduces the release of microplastics during the rinse cycle.

▲ Made in partnership with Patagonia, the Less Microfiber™ Filter minimizes microplastics emissions during the laundry process. Bespoke washing machines can support the Less Microfiber™ Cycle through updated software.

The Significance of AI in Home Appliances

As demonstrated at CES 2024, the era of AI-equipped home appliances is here. In line with this, the final value of Samsung’s Core Tech philosophy is AI-Powered innovation — offering enhanced user convenience by minimizing user involvement.

Samsung unveiled a multitude of appliances equipped with AI at CES 2024. The Bespoke 4-Door Flex™ Refrigerator with AI Family Hub™ features AI Vision Inside, a groundbreaking function that automatically records and keeps track of food inside. Bespoke AI Laundry Combo™ determines the optimal wash and dry cycles according to a variety of factors such as load weight, fabric material and soil level. The Bespoke Jet Bot Combo™ robot vacuum cleaner includes upgraded driving capabilities to autonomously navigate around the house.

▲ (From left) The Bespoke 4-Door Flex™ Refrigerator with AI Family Hub™, Bespoke AI Laundry Combo™ and Bespoke Jet Bot Combo™ on display at CES 2024.

“Samsung’s home appliances aim to decrease user involvement. We are leveraging AI technology to develop home appliances that operate more intelligently than ever, as if they’re reading the user’s mind,” said Lee. “These advancements eliminate the need for users to manually operate and adjust settings — as Samsung appliances are able to automatically set air conditioning modes, oven temperatures, cooking times and more.”

▲ Lee detailed Samsung’s exciting developmental direction for its AI home appliances.

Sensors and data are essential to Samsung’s AI-based home appliances. By continually accumulating analytics through sensors and leveraging AI to learn user behavior, Samsung appliances can perform as users desire without the need for manual intervention.

These sensors enable home appliances to perform specific functions for users — such as monitoring when food is taken out of the fridge, detecting soil levels and weight when doing laundry and recognizing objects when cleaning. Samsung continues to expand its use of sensors in appliances through advanced technology such as LiDAR and 3D sensors.

“While these sensors are not visible, they play a vital role in collecting signals and data to strengthen the AI algorithm of home appliances,” said Lee. “The refrigerator collects approximately 300 signals while the washer collects about 200 of them. We plan to increase this number to enhance the AI technology within our appliances.”

Sensors, data and enhanced connectivity are poised to expand the role of AI-equipped appliances within the home. Driven by its pursuit of ultimate user convenience, Samsung will continue to build out AI home appliances that make life easier and smarter for users.

“The Core Tech values are the foundation of Samsung’s Bespoke appliances,” he said. “Moving forward, we will continue to pursue innovation that prioritizes a more personalized user experience.”