Domestic appliance manufacturer Hoover has launched a range of home laundry products with artificial intelligence (AI).
The first AXI models are a 9kg and 10kg washing machine, which launched this month. These will be followed by a 13kg model and 10+6kg washer-dryer in August. The AXI washing machines is wi-fi-connected and can be controlled through the Hoover Wizard app, or by voice commands with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.
The AXI collection includes washing machines and tumble-dryers and, later in the year, Hoover will expand this to include dishwashers and cooling models.
Steve Macdonald, business director for freestanding appliances at Hoover Candy, said: “As the brand that launched the UK’s first collection of connected appliances in June 2015, we’ve made it our mission to lead the way with smart models.
“Laundry appliances make up 38% of the market, so it was important for us to focus on this product category for our latest launches. We know that a quarter of consumers would be interested in buying a connected appliance, so we made a concerted effort to ensure that our latest smart models included state-of-the-art technology that will truly benefit people by learning and adapting to provide bespoke solutions to daily life.”
Smart tech and connected homes is a market that has grown and Simon Gosling, a futurist for Unruly, the video ad tech company, said: “Emerging tech, such as holograms, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), will become the standard within the next 20 years, as will connected appliances, but there is so much more to the smart home of the future.
“I would also say that KBB retailers should start to take an interest now in voice-activated products and services. By 2020, 50% of all internet searches will be done by voice without a screen.”