Remote Control House
Furniture and building materials companies have started to actively respond to the era of the Internet of Things (IoT) by integrating ICT into their products.
According to industry sources on July 8, furniture companies such as Hanssem and Hyundai Livart are actively seeking to develop smart furniture by forging partnerships with electronics and telecommunications companies. LG Hausys, a building materials company, is leading the evolution of residential space as shown by its development of smart windows capable of opening and closing on their own, and controlling light via a smartphone.
Hanssem created a device business unit late last year, working to develop smart furniture with LG Electronics and other electronics companies. Its smart home products are aimed at using space more effectively by integrating consumer electronic products into furniture. Built-in furniture is simply the combination of home appliances and kitchen furniture, while smart furniture is a more upgraded version.
Hanssem is going to showcase a product that combines a microwave and kitchen furniture, a 2-in-1 product that adds a shoe-drying function to a shoe cabinet, and a dressing table with a tablet PC inside the mirror. The smart dressing table can evaluate the skin of the user, since there is a special camera built into the mirror.
Hyundai Livart already developed ICT-integrated smart kitchen furniture in Nov. 2014, together with SK Telecom, the nation's largest mobile carrier. The smart furniture can be used like a smartphone through the Internet and a touch screen on the mirror and the walls. In addition to making phone calls, it is possible to play music and videos stored on a smartphone. It is also possible to get information on the price of agro-fishery products and recipes useful for rookie housewives. On top of that, the furniture company recently unveiled ICT-based student furniture, which has met with a very positive reaction from parents.
LG Hausys opened an era of smart building materials by debuting smart windows as well. The functions of the smart windows can all be controlled with a smartphone, including opening or closing windows, sounding burglar alarms, ventilating the house, and controlling light. It is possible to wirelessly open or close windows using a related app from the outside of the house. When windows are opened by force, users are immediately notified via their smartphone.
Boiler manufacturers are also using the IoT by integrating ICT into their products. KyungDong Navien released Navien Remotely-controlled Home Automation in June 2014, using a smartphone-enabled remote control technology.