Whirlpool Brand Imagines Smart Homes with a Conscience at CES 2015

The Socially Networked Kitchen
Expanding on the popular digital cooktop concept at last year’s show, the brand is predicting the future of the kitchen with the debut of the Interactive Kitchen of the Future 2.0 – a concept cooking environment and fully connected, social media hub that syncs devices and all your kitchen appliances so everything and everyone you communicate with is within reach using existing surfaces.

In a conceptual demonstration at the show, Whirlpool brand illustrates what it would be like to create an interactive backsplash and cooktop that connects you to your social networks, favorite websites, and recipes for customized meal and guest planning, without added devices or books.

The interactive backsplash with personalized touch screens also enables live “chats” with mom for her secret tips and tricks, an oven which will turn on just in time to ensure dinner is ready, and a refrigerator that sends an alert notification when food is at its freshest.

“We’re using technology’s biggest stage to showcase what our design team does best – visualizing the future of appliance technology that has yet to be invented and its influence on the home,” said Brett Dibkey, vice president and general manager of Integrated Business Units for Whirlpool Corporation. “We take special care to merge our designs with cultural observations. A lot of people are connecting a lot of “things,” but very few are creating true consumer value. Whirlpool brand’s purposeful use of technology does not get in the way, it points the way.”

The demonstration envisions the whole suite of appliances predicting and adjusting needs and actions based on the task. Using information from other devices and connected appliances to assist, the system auto-adapts to any cooking curveballs, such as using ingredients already inventoried in your fridge, accommodating last-minute guests tracked via GPS, even making wine recommendations based on the selected meal – all displayed vividly on the backsplash.

Innovation and Connectivity with a Conscience
In addition to this unique future concept, Whirlpool brand’s thoughtful use of technology is on display in its next-generation Smart Top Load Washer and Dryer that puts “smart” to use in a whole new way, reflecting how modern families give and get care on a daily basis. The Smart Top Load extends the award-winning ‘Works with Nest’ collaboration in laundry. In addition to home and away controls that help prevent wrinkles and delay cycles when energy costs are high, the new top load triggers a quiet mode within the Whirlpool^® Mobile app while at home for a little extra peace when you really need it. Consumers can also access custom wash cycles direct from Whirlpool Corporation engineers. These anticipated cycles include high performance athletic wear, comforters, baby clothes, hand-wash fabrics and more.

What’s most exciting is how this pair turns a seemingly mundane chore, laundry, into an act of love that benefits Habitat for Humanity through the new Connect to care^™ program on the Whirlpool^® Mobile app. This connected pair enables families to automate donations to Habitat for Humanity (a longstanding Whirlpool partner) where every load of laundry triggers a donation based on the families’ preferences. By doing what most families do daily, Whirlpool consumers can help other families thrive, which exemplifies that the best technology should make us more human.

“Whirlpool has thrived for more than a century because our innovations come straight from the heart of consumers,” said Jon Hall, senior brand manager, Whirlpool brand. “We’re committed to bringing to life technology with a true human touch. We study how individuals give and get care and never use technology in a product that does not provide a useful, real benefit to the person using it.”

Prior to the show, Whirlpool brand appliances won top honors with six CES Innovation Awards, including the Whirlpool^® Smart Top Load Washer and Dryer.

CES attendees can get a first-hand look at these award-winning connected appliances and other CES award-winning innovations at Whirlpool brand’s booth #73937 in the Family Tech Zone at the Sands Expo Center, January 6-9. The Whirlpool^® Smart Top Load Washer and Dryer will be available to consumers in Spring 2015.

For more information, to join the conversation and see the company’s care-centric product innovations and conceptual inspirations come to life, visit ces.whirlpool.com and follow #EveryDayCare.

About Whirlpool Brand
For more than one hundred years, Whirlpool brand has been inspired by how people care for their families. Whirlpool brand is designing home appliances that are focused on improving how families give and get the care they need with the latest technologies and innovations – whether that means most flexible refrigerator storage for all types of family needs, induction technology for efficient cooking and easier cleaning, or laundry pairs that sense and adapt to clothes with the latest in connected technologies. Whirlpool brand is part of Whirlpool Corporation, the world’s leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances. Whirlpool Corporation is also one of Habitat for Humanity’s largest corporate partners for over 15 dedicated years, donating a refrigerator and range to every new Habitat for Humanity home built in North America. For more information on Whirlpool, please visit whirlpool.com/everydaycare or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/whirlpoolusa or Twitter at @WhirlpoolUSA. Additional information about the company can be found at whirlpoolcorp.com.

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