By Lee Yoonseo and Hahm Hee-eun

Europe’s largest international appliance exhibition, the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA), is scheduled to open in Berlin on Aug. 31. It's expected that Korea’s two leading home appliance companies, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, will be showcasing their smart, connected home appliances. This year, more than 1,800 companies from 57 countries will participate in the exhibition, and around 240,000 visitors are expected to visit before it closes on Sept. 5.

At this year’s event, "artificial intelligence" (AI) was the key topic for all the keynote speeches. Over the past two years, the topics were "the smart home" in 2017 and "new connections" in 2016.

Messe Berlin, the host organization, said, "This exhibition shows how AI will change our lives.” As a result, smart homes will be presented in various forms with home appliances that combine AI and the internet of things (IoT).

LG Electronics Vice Chairman Jo Seoung-jin will give the opening speech and introduce the future strategy for his company concerning AI and robots. He will also present LG’s wearable robot, the LG CLOi SuitBot, for the first time. The robot supports the lower body of the user and improves muscle strength, which makes it easier to carry heavy loads. It's expected that the robot will enhance the quality of everyday life for people who have difficulties walking.

In addition, the clothes steamer LG Styler ThinQ will have both AI and voice recognition. Through its AI platform, users can simply speak to the appliance to turn it on or off, or to set a "clothing care system." The LG Styler ThinQ is an updated version of the LG Styler, which not only has the steaming function of a washing machine, but also the temperature management skills of a refrigerator or air conditioner. This allows the clothes to stay wrinkle-free, with no odor and no germs, without using any chemical substances.



Samsung will be introducing an ultra-high definition and ultra-large TV, its 8K QLED TV, and AI speakers.

The "8K" from in the name 8K QLED TV refers to the resolution of 7680 x 4320, four times clearer than the latest 4K resolution, also known as ultra-high definition (UHD), which is 3840 x 2160. The 7,800 pixel width is almost close to 8,000, and thus the moniker "8K" was added to the name. The 8K QLED TV can show different textures, such as sea waves reflected in the sunlight, and a white snow field, all in extremely high resolution.

Samsung says that demand for high-definition TVs will increase as the market becomes larger, and thus it officially released its new product at the trade fair here. The product is equipped with AI-high-definition conversion technology that not only improves resolution, but also the TV sound.


clo1120@korea.kr