Whirlpool imagines the smart homes of the future

INTELLIGENT MACHINE: Whirlpool Smart Top Load Washer and Dryer helps prevent wrinkles.

Household brand Whirlpool is set to unveil its vision for a "fully connected home ecosystem" at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

The brand is debuting its Interactive Kitchen of the Future 2.0 at the show. The conceptual design features an integrated social media hub that syncs devices and kitchen appliances so that everything and everyone you communicate with is within reach using existing surfaces.

Highlights of the concept include a cooktop that connects to your social networks and facilitates live "chats", 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.

The clever conceptual system can adapt to all manner of cooking curveballs, such as using ingredients already in the fridge, or accommodating last-minute guests tracked via GPS.

"We're using technology's biggest stage to showcase what our design team does best -- visualising 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.

The brand will also be displaying its next-generation Smart Top Load Washer and Dryer at the show. The appliance features home and away controls that help prevent wrinkles and delay cycles when energy costs are high, and the new top load triggers a quiet mode via the Whirlpool Mobile app for a little extra peace when necessary.

The machine also lets users make donations to the Habitat for Humanity with every laundry cycle, via its mobile app.

CES runs from Jan 6 to 9. The Whirlpool Smart Top Load Washer and Dryer will be available to consumers in Spring 2015. — AFP/RelaxNews 2014