LG unveils future home life in new normal era of pandemic at IFA 2020

SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Yonhap) -- LG Electronics Inc. on Thursday unveiled its vision of future home life at Europe's largest tech show, showcasing its latest innovations that could be helpful in the new normal era of the pandemic.

Under the theme of "Life's Good from Home," LG Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Park Il-pyung presented the vision that maximizes three core home values -- care, convenience and entertainment -- at the company's online press conference for Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) 2020.

"These unprecedented times have made us more uncertain about the future," said Park, who took the stage in hologram form. "LG believes this presents a unique opportunity to make real change in the world by realizing a new potential for the home."

At the conference, Park vowed that LG's artificial intelligence (AI) platform, LG ThinQ, will continue to deliver innovative services and new business models to lead the change.

The LG ThinQ app, launched in 2017, delivers a user-centric experience that extends from customer support to purchasing supplies. Last year, the company started the Proactive Customer Care (PCC) service with the app, which analyzes the operational status of appliances and provides maintenance advice with AI technology.

LG added it plans to more than double the number of appliances and service items compatible with the LG ThinQ app while introducing the care service to other markets.

"As a leading lifestyle innovator, we've doubled-down on our commitment to develop new and improved products and services that provide a good life for consumers the world over," Park said.

Park also explained that LG's CLOi line of robots will provide a "safe, socially distant way" to offer services in various sectors. LG CLOi ServeBots have been already deployed in commercial locations in South Korea since July.

The CTO emphasized that with the open-source Robot Operating System (ROS) 2, LG's CLOi line of robots could serve as "an efficient substitute for human interaction," as the company targets to expand the robot ecosystem.

Park revealed that LG is also developing technology for remote health care management, adding the company recently administered a pilot project with a Seoul hospital to enhance monitoring and care of patients with chronic conditions.

"Through AI, we can easily and more precisely monitor the health of consumers 24 hours a day, seven days a week," Park said.

Also at the conference, LG unveiled the LG ThinQ Home, an actual house that LG built in Pangyo, south of Seoul, to show its latest smart home solutions.

Park introduced LG ThinQ Home Concierge, a smart mirror that allows users to monitor conditions of home appliances and check home energy usage. The high-tech panel is also connected to the home's electric car charging station, which enables homeowners to charge and monitor their electric cars remotely.

LG has not set up an offline exhibition area at this year's IFA in Berlin, Germany, due to the novel coronavirus concerns. Instead, the company decided to open a 3D virtual exhibition booth and the LG ThinQ Home to showcase its latest products and technologies.

kdon@yna.co.kr
(END)