For example, in the home, when a user wakes up in the morning on a rainy day, the home lights will gradually brighten, while music fit for a rainy day is selected and played in the background. A cup of coffee will be prepared as soon as the user says “coffee” while stepping into the kitchen and the refrigerator will also recommend meal ideas for the day, asking the user whether he or she would like to buy ingredients online.

In the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry, Samsung Electronics is uniquely positioned to bring this world of connected AI services to life, based on the almost half a billion connected devices the company sells every year. In fact, given the typical lifecycle of a device, there are more than a billion Samsung devices actively used around the world at any given time.

Samsung’s device portfolio also is the industry’s broadest, and includes mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and wearable devices, office devices such as PCs, signages and Samsung Flip, devices for the home such as Samsung Smart TVs, Family Hub and FlexWash and FlexDry, and much more.

At this year’s CES, Samsung highlighted its latest innovations in its vision to drive the Internet of Things (IoT) supported by AI. Samsung Smart TVs now integrated with Bixby, are able to play music and shows personalized for users, as well as show who is at the front door or what is inside the refrigerator. The Family Hub refrigerator, also integrated with AI, recognizes the voices of different family members and provides each of them with a personalized daily schedule.

Moving forward, Samsung will continue to remain focused on holistically integrating AI into a connected setting, such as the home or the office, in contrast to other players primarily pursuing implementation of AI on a few devices and services. In the following months, Samsung will integrate not only Samsung devices, but also IoT devices and sensors developed by external partners into the SmartThings eco-system, allowing a single SmartThings app to control everything. Furthermore, Samsung also plans to integrate AI into all its connected devices by 2020.

In the coming years, many IoT devices with AI support will generate a vast array of usage patterns and scenarios. How AI-enabled devices learn and analyze complex usage patterns and provide consumers with the most optimized options will be critical to the success of AI technology for the near future. In other words, the success of AI will boil down to how well the devices understand the users.

Therefore, Samsung’s perspective on AI is to build an eco-system that is user-centric rather than device-centric. To pursue that goal, we will start by building an AI platform under a common architecture that will not only scale quickly, but also provide the deepest understanding of usage context and behaviors, making AI more relevant and useful.

For the past decades, Samsung successfully introduced products and innovations by researching the lifestyle and behavior of global consumers. Paying respect to our heritage of user-centric product development, Samsung will begin an exciting journey open to boundless possibilities in new user experiences by integrating AI into the open IoT ecosystem it is currently developing. This journey will certainly be fascinating for us here at Samsung, but even more so for consumers, as Samsung takes major steps forward to bring consumers’ hopes and expectations to life.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced that it is bringing its next generation laundry innovation to the U.S.:  the WW6850N washing machine featuring revolutionary QuickDrive technology. Responding to consumer demand for speed and cleaning performance, the 24” compact washer cleans laundry up to 35% faster for a thorough clean¹, compared to current Samsung models. The WW6850N will be on display at the upcoming International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas from 9-12 January, 2018.

With more Millennials than ever buying homes, this new cohort of digitally savvy homebuyers is demanding home appliances that incorporate meaningful, personalized technology to enhance their lives. The WW6850N with QuickDrive technology is just the latest in a line of differentiated laundry innovations, including the activewash Top Load Washer, AddWash Front Load Washer and FlexWash + FlexDry laundry pair.

“When you’ve got a pile of laundry to do, you just want to get it done as quickly and efficiently as possible,” said Shane Higby, Vice President, Home Appliance Marketing, Samsung Electronics America. “The introduction of the WW6850N washing machine with QuickDrive technology underscores our commitment to providing consumers with options for tackling their laundry needs to free up time for what really matters.”

The WW6850N washer’s innovative performance starts with QuickDrive technology, which features a large main drum and a back plate that move independently. This creates a dynamic action that moves clothes in four directions – up and down and back and forth – to quickly, gently and thoroughly remove dirt for a more powerful and intense wash cycle that takes up to 35% less time than other comparable Samsung machines[1]. Additionally, at 24” wide and stackable, the WW6850N washer and its companion dryer are an ideal size for small spaces like first floor laundry rooms or closets just off the master suite, to conveniently tackle loads quickly and effectively.

The WW6850N is IoT-ready and compatible with Samsung’s SmartThings ecosystem. Its Q-rator laundry assistant has smart capabilities that simplify the washing cycle with intuitive features:

• Laundry Recipe provides automatic recommendations for optimal wash cycles based on the color, fabric type, and degree of soiling inputted by the user.
• Laundry Planner allows consumers to manage the time that a wash cycle will finish, adjusting cycle settings accordingly.
• HomeCare Wizard monitors the washer to keep it operating at optimal performance and provides easy-to-follow maintenance instructions

A 2018 CES Innovations Award honouree, the WW6850N washing machine with QuickDrive technology will be available in the U.S. this year. For more information about Samsung Home Appliances, please visit www.samsung.com.

¹ Tested on Samsung WW6850N with WW6800K. Saves up to 35% time on Heavy Duty (hot, 6lb load) with a washing performance within ± 3%, based on internal data tested by AHAM HLW-1-2013.

Luckily, leading scientists have unravelled the cause of one of life’s greatest mysteries by discovering the secrets to why our socks go missing in the wash. Their research has led them to devise a mathematical formula to predict the probability of ending up with odd socks after a washing load spinning cycle.

The study, commissioned by Samsung in light of the AddWash washing machine launch, surveyed 2,000 people living in Britain who were representative of global population groups and happy to discuss their dirty laundry in public. Through a series of in-depth face to face interviews, it found that the participants lose an average of 1.3 socks each month (and more than 15 in a year), leaving them with numerous mismatches. If the average life expectancy is 81, these cleaning catastrophes lead to the equivalent of 1,264 lost socks each over a lifetime, costing the average study participant a whopping R43,198.21.

In all, these laundry losses mean around 84 million socks go missing every month in the UK alone. However, sock salvation is in sight. Samsung’s AddWash uses an innovative second door which allows users to simply drop in extra items during the wash cycle – whether that’s a stray sock you missed, extra softener or a hand-washed garment for final rinsing – providing a possible end to the problem of forfeited footwear.

Chartered psychologist Dr Simon Moore and statistician Geoff Ellis applied science to socks in a bid to discover the factors which contribute to washday blues. *

Many fanciful theories have been put forward for these laundry losses, including theft by gremlins, but the team’s work ultimately revealed:

• The main factors causing missing socks are the complexity of the washing load. The way the batches are divided up, based on whites, colours and different temperatures and the number of socks in each wash cycle.
• There are many practical reasons for sock loss. Research interviews found the common causes included items falling behind radiators or under furniture without anyone realising; stray items being added to the wrong coloured wash or separated from its matching sock; not being properly secured to a washing line or they are simply carelessly paired up.

Mike van Lier, Director of Consumer Electronics at Samsung South Africa said: “We believe this new study has finally solved the age-old mystery of the missing socks. At Samsung, we are changing the way we do laundry with the AddWash machine. No longer will we load the machine with trepidation as we worry whether pairs will be separated forever. Now we can add those loose socks and any other item of clothing we forgot in mid-wash, to ensure everything stays together safely.”

*Insights derived from a Samsung Electronics study, conducted by chartered psychologist Dr Simon Moore and statistician Geoff Ellis, on the Mystery of The Missing Sock, 2017.