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South Korean tech giant LG Electronics Inc. has launched LG ThinQ On, a standalone home hub equipped with generative artificial intelligence (AI), marking its full-scale entry into the AI-home market.
As per a report by Pulse, English service of Maeil Business News Korea, the new device is an advanced form of an AI home hub capable of understanding complex everyday conversations and controlling home appliances accordingly. LG Electronics launched sales of LG ThinQ On Wednesday and its Internet of Things (IoT) device lineup, LG IoT Devices, through its online brand shop. The LG ThinQ On is priced at 246,000 won (USD 171.79), while IoT devices range from 40,000 won to 513,000 won. The cylindrical hub features generative AI that responds when users say "Hi LG," understanding the context of the conversation to control home appliances and IoT devices. It can process compound commands such as "Turn off the air conditioner, start the robot vacuum, and turn on the dehumidifier after one hour," remembering and executing them in sequence. Going beyond simple voice recognition, it learns and predicts user lifestyles, and autonomously adjusts the home environment, including lighting, air quality, and humidity. To help customers less familiar with AI technology, LG also provides an installation service in which an engineer visits the home, connects AI appliances and IoT devices, and sets up personalized automation scenarios. Customers can easily expand their homes into full AI environments through solution bundles such as the Smart Start package - which integrates smart lighting, temperature-humidity sensors, and door locks - or the Well-Sleeping package, which optimizes sleeping conditions. Security is ensured through LG's proprietary LG Shield system, which detects and blocks intrusions or data tampering in real time. The hub is certified under the open-standard Matter protocol, supporting multiple connectivity options including Wi-Fi and Thread. "LG ThinQ On is the core hub of an AI home that communicates empathetically - almost like a friend - through everyday conversation," said Lyu Jae-cheol, president and head of LG Electronics' Home Appliance & Air Solution (H&A) division. "With generative AI, it delivers a differentiated home experience by controlling appliances and suggesting services tailored to customers' needs." LG Electronics has pioneered a new category with its conversational AI hub, while its domestic rival Samsung Electronics Co. is evolving into a platform-centric open AI home ecosystem through its SmartThings. SmartThings goes beyond the concept of a separate hub - it is natively embedded across Samsung's major hardware, including smartphones, wearables, TVs, and refrigerators, allowing users to connect and control appliances and IoT devices without an additional hub. According to global research firm InsightAce Analytic, the AI-based global smart-home market is projected to grow at an annual average of 21.3 per cent to reach USD 104.1 billion by 2034. (ANI)
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