LG’s IFA 2020 press conference was led on stage by the hologram of Dr. IP Park, the President and CTO of LG Electronics. His hologram moved around the stage, delivering updates on the company’s smart home hardware and integration using the “Life’s good from home” tagline.
The LG press conference took a deep look at how the smart home of tomorrow is very much of the now, with some diversions into pandemic protection goods, too.
- Introduction of the PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier
- The announcement of ThinQ Home Concierge for smart home management
- The new LG Intelligent Sound System for greater audio coverage
- LG’s ThinQ Home test home
Let’s take a look at those announcements in a little more detail.
LG’s first press conference announcement was the PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier, a portable battery-powered air filtration system for your face. Essentially, it’s a face mask with an air-filtration system, using replaceable battery-powered H13 HEPA filters similar to LG’s home air purifier range.
The PuriCare masks have a sensor to detect your breathing pattern, which adjusts the masks’ fan rate accordingly. Battery-wise, the PuriCare has an 820mAh rechargeable battery that LG says will provide up to eight hours of use in low power mode, dropping to two hours in high-power mode.
There are a couple of things to note here. First, LG doesn’t specifically frame the PuriCare as an anti-COVID measure. It doesn’t make any claims that it stops the ingress of COVID-19. But it does insinuate the mask was developed as a response to the global healthcare crisis, so read what you will there.
Second, it is becoming widely accepted that masks with ventilation ducts are actually worse at stopping COVID-19 transmission, so that’s another thing to consider.
The LQ ThinQ Home Concierge works as the central brain of your smart home, connecting all of your smart devices throughout the house. There are multiple opportunities for connection to the Concierge, from your smart TV, computers, smartphones, panels in your home, and so on.
The ThinQ Home Concierge will automate air filtration, temperature controls, security cycles, and more. Above is a screenshot of the LG ThinQ Home Concierge.
The LG ThinQ Home Concierge can be tailored to your home solution. You can pick and choose the elements included in the smart home management system before installation. Furthermore, Home Concierge integrates with non-LG smart home products, meaning you don’t have to trash your existing hardware to integrate one management tool.
In terms of looks, ThinQ Home Concierge looks very similar to a giant smart mirror. Although the introduction of a large control panel in your home sounds excessive, the actual product appears relatively unobtrusive.
One thing LG declined to mention was pricing and availability. The ThinQ Home Concierge looks great, but there is no indication as to when it might arrive on the consumer market.
One small announcement went to LG’s Intelligent Sound System. Many people have speakers situated throughout their home, but you have to switch on and configure each speaker.
The LG Intelligent Sound System follows you around the house, ensuring the volume is at optimum levels, equalized properly throughout your home. Instead of finding a single sweet spot directly in front of the TV, on the sofa, with your perfectly configured surround sound, you can have perfect audio throughout the house.
There was something LG was incredibly keen to show off: the LG ThinQ Home. LG has built an entire model home, covering four-stories and packed to the rafters with LG smart home tech. The ThinQ Home, situated outside Seoul, South Korea, is LG’s smart home integration test playground.
Writing about its myriad features doesn’t really do it justice. Instead, check out the video below for a guided tour:
There are a lot of futuristic products in there, as well as the LG ThinQ Home Concierge in-situ. The use of a smart wall is interesting, allowing to rapidly alter the layout of a room to suit a different need.
The LG IFA 2020 press conference had a strong focus on smart home technology. As people increase the amount of smart tech throughout their homes, services like the ThinQ Home Concierge will become vital to keeping an ultra-connected household up and running.