LG ThinQ

2019: Function of recognition of a voice in mobile application of ThinQ

On August 23, 2019 the LG Electronics company (LG) provided function of recognition of a voice in the mobile application to ThinQ (before SmartThinQ) which will provide the maximum convenience to users and a connectivity to LG ThinQ devices from any place in the world at any time. The first mobile application for "smart" control of home appliances with support of English uses a sensing technology of a voice of Google Assistant and manages all devices of LG connected to Wi-Fi such as washers, dryers, refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, conditioners, air purifiers and many others.

According to the company, using voice commands in the ThinQ application users will be able to manage with improbable ease the devices and also to monitor their work. The application provides updates of the status of all attached devices of LG in real time by means of only one command for the maximum convenience of the smart house. Users can ask the ThinQ application to check by voice the remained washing time on the washer directly from office or to adjust conditioner temperature on the way home, without coming off phone screen.

The ThinQ application contains useful information about opportunities and functions of the device and also warns the user about problems of technical character and fault finding. It is possible to ask the application a question: "How the automatic mode of the air purifier works?" or "What means the yellow indicator on the refrigerator?" and to receive the answer directly in the application. The ThinQ application can not only respond to the majority of the questions connected with use of the device but also submit reports on recent actions and also make useful recommendations about everyday issues.

The advanced ThinQ application will appear in Korea in August, 2019, then in North America in the fourth quarter 2019, and in the main markets of Europe it will become available in 2020.

2018: The announcement of TVs with artificial intelligence

At the beginning of 2018 the LG Electronics company provided the TVs equipped with opportunities of the artificial intelligence (AI). The new equipment entered a line of household appliances under the ThinQ brand and it is provided by the LG OLED and SUPER UHD series. New products use technologies of natural languag processing and the platform of deep training LG DeepThinQ.

The TVs of LG announced within the CES 2018 exhibition in Las Vegas received the built-in voice assistant to Google Assistant. With its help quick and "smart" search of content is provided. For example, spoken commands of a type "Are supported show me favourite videos" or "Find a soundtrack to the movie"). Besides, in Google Assistant support of control of the home appliances connected to the system of the "smart" house and an opportunity to remember habits of users is implemented.

The LG ThinQ TV using artificial intelligence technologies

At the same time the South Korean producer does not intend to transfer the TVs to the Android TV platform, and instead it will continue to develop the webOS operating system. The corporate AI assistant from LG in TVs of 2018 model year will understand new voice commands. For example, he will learn to switch off TV after transfer or series end, or is able to look for certain fragments of the movie browsed at the moment.

In addition to AI technologies, the LG OLED and SUPER UHD models received some other functions which were not used in devices of the company earlier. Among them - the Alpha 9 processor thanks to which, according to developers, plausible saturated colors, clearness and depth of the image are reached. In the chip four-stage noise cancellation on the basis of an advanced algorithm which eliminates the irritating artifacts of images is implemented and effectively reproduces soft junctions of flowers. Alpha 9 supports processing of video with a frame frequency up to 120 fps, improving quality of the dynamic picture.

Besides, TVs of LG of the OLED and SUPER UHD series have support of traditional HDR formats, like Dolby Vision, HDR10 or HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) and also new Advanced HDR from Technicolor.

The cost and terms of the beginning of sales of TVs by January 5, 2018 are unknown.^[1]

2017

The uniform brand for home appliances is created

On December 20, 2017 the LG Electronics company announced creation of the ThinQ brand for all home appliances, consumer electronics and services released in 2018 using artificial intelligence technologies (AI).

All products and ThinQ services will be capable to use methods of deep learning and to interact with each other, using the AI different platforms, including own DeepThinQ technology from LG.

Provided to LG DeepThinQ technology and decided to add a connectivity through Wi-Fi in everything the premium class devices released this year.

In June, 2017 based on the Main Technical Office in Seoul the LG company opened laboratory of artificial intelligence for consolidation of the saved-up researches of use of AI in technologies which recognize voice commands, images and sensors and also are controlled and study with their help.

Opening of API for third-party developers

In October, 2017 opened LG Electronics for third-party developers API (the program interface of application development) of the platform for home "smart" SmartThinQ devices.^[2] For this purpose the company started the special website.

LG opens for third-party developers the platform for the "smart" house

On this portal developers after the conclusion of the relevant partnership agreement can get access to API platforms, and their services and products acquire the right to a label of "Works with SmartThinQ" ("Compatibly to SmartThinQ").

Besides, structures of Internet of Things from developers will be able to be synchronized with the SmartThinQ application, its "speaking" platform with artificial intelligence of Smart Hub and Smart Sensor devices.

LG hopes that third-party developers actively will create new solutions on the Smart Hub platform, in particular, in the field of recognition of a natural language and a voice and also processing of Big Data which can be widely adopted further in home devices.

According to the message of LG, the company expects creation of the whole ecosystem for developments of home "smart" devices including open partnership with third-party developers, the open platform and open connectivities of different devices among themselves.

South Korean technology giants continue implementation of the innovations on creation of home "smart" devices with artificial intelligence and voice actuation. Earlier Samsung reported that by 2020 all home devices released by it will have "smart" functions, such as artificial intelligence and recognition of voice commands.

Kakao and Commax companies also jointly work on home "smart" devices with artificial intelligence. Kakao, besides, provides development tools for the platform of artificial intelligence Kakao I that third-party developers using this platform could create own services and solutions.

SmartThinQ devices

(Data are relevant for October, 2017)

LG SmartThinQ is the platform for home "smart" devices.

LG SmartThinQ Hub is the control center of all ecosystem of the smart home from LG. SmartThinQ Hub plays a major role in work of the intellectual LG platform, collecting data from "smart" devices and also normal devices connected to SmartThinQ sensors through Wi-Fi, Zigbee and Bluetooth.

SmartThinQ Sensor represents a small round box which the washer or the refrigerator can connect to the existing home equipment, for example.^[3] the Sensor is capable to catch different external signals and then to transfer data on them to the smartphone to the SmartThinQ App application.

For example, the existence/lack of vibration will allow to learn about whether washing is complete. In a case with the refrigerator, the sensor will prompt how many times its door in a definite time opened and also will warn that separate products will soon deteriorate. Such devices as the conditioner, SmartThinQ Sensor allows to manage far off from the smartphone.

Presentation of SmartThinQ App, 2015

Notes