April 24, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Smart home appliances and advanced autonomous driving will take center stage at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show, the world’s biggest technology showcase, which kicks off in Las Vegas on Jan. 5.

Korean tech firms Samsung and LG will showcase their smart home technologies, which have been a popular theme at the show for the last few years. Smart home is an environment where home appliances and electronics are all connected so users can control them from anywhere.

Samsung is expected to unveil an advanced solution which connects home appliances, such as televisions, refrigerators and washing machines, and controls them via a cloud-based platform. The firm is also expected to unveil Wi-Fi-based premium kitchen appliances -- refrigerators, wall ovens, cooking tops and dish washers -- which can be controlled by smartphones. 

Samsung Electronics is to showcase its premium kitchen appliances at 2017 CES.

Samsung’s local rival LG is also set to show off a range of smart home appliances with deep learning technology. The AI-based appliances, which is comprised of air conditioners and robot cleaners, provide customized functions by learning users’ lifestyle patterns and surroundings based on accumulated data through sensors and Wi-Fi. 

It would display a range of different robots, including those that can offer concierge and housekeeping services as well as acting like a waiter at a restaurant.

The AI-powered robots can move in an autonomous manner and find the most efficient way on its own to complete tasks ordered by users, the company said.

“LG has been preparing the robot business for years with its expertise in autonomous technologies featured in robot vacuum cleaners,” said a spokesperson from the electronics giant, adding the company would expand the robot business into the public services sector.

The US tech giant Amazon will showcase a freestanding in-home speaker, which enables users to control smart home devices using voice commands. The US home appliances maker Whirlpool will unveil Smart Kitchen Suite, which allow customers to press a button on their appliances to reorder detergent for their dishwasher.  

The CES 2017 is also expected to feature the latest auto technology, which hones in on autonomous driving and concept cars.

Hyundai Motor’s electric vehicles Ioniq Electric and Ioniq Hybrid will drive along test routes such as a crossroad, an underpass and an intersection throughout the city, offering a glimpse of the self-driving future. The automaker will also show off its connectivity, self-driving, health care and eco-friendly automobile technologies at its booth. 

Hyundai Motor’s electric vehicle Ioniq Electric will drive along test routes throughout the city at the CES.

Mercedes Benz will unveil its new all-electric sport utility vehicle Concept EQ. The company said Concept EQ is the logical fusion of all four pillars of the automaker’s future mobility -- Connected, Autonomous, Shared and Electric. It will also unveil its development plan of Cognitive Car and its new solution of connecting artificial intelligence and smart home.

Volkswagen is slated to introduce the future mobility vision about the artificial connectivity and sustainable cars. It will show a new type of display and control system used for its concept cars Golf R Touch and BUDD-e.

A number of auto companies’ leaders will be attending the show. Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun will skip the Detroit auto show also held in January and be flying to CES. Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn will present a keynote address while Ford CEO Mark Fields will speak at Leaders in Technology Dinner at the event.

By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)

Kim Young-won of The Investor contributed to this article -- Ed.

(wone0102@heraldcorp.com)