[IFA2022] Refrigerator as the 'Mood Master'... LG Unveils New 'Dios Objet Collection Mood Up' in Germany

LG Electronics Objet Collection. (Photo by LG Electronics)

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[Berlin (Germany) = Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok]

"The 'LG Dios Objet Collection Mood Up' is a product born from intense consideration strictly from the customer's perspective. Through this new product, which represents the pinnacle of space appliances and UP appliances, we will provide a different level of customer experience that upgrades even the atmosphere."

On the 1st, the day before the opening of the German Berlin home appliance exhibition 'IFA 2022,' Ryu Jaecheol, Vice President and Head of LG Electronics H&A (Home Appliance & Air Solution) Business Division, emphasized this to reporters. He announced a new refrigerator product and said that with the LG smart home platform 'LG ThinQ,' users can upgrade colors and music. It means that just by having one good appliance, the entire class of the home changes. This aligns with LG Electronics' IFA 2022 concept of showcasing differentiated and overwhelming customer experiences.

According to LG Electronics on this day, the new product allows users to change the refrigerator color with just one touch. It is also a UP appliance that can add new functions through upgrades even after purchase. This means that door colors and music sources can be continuously updated.

The Mood Up does not just have colors applied when manufactured. It can be changed anytime according to the customer's mood and preferences. It is an ambitious work that will deliver LG Electronics' marketing point of 'F·U·N (Fantastic, Unique, Never-before-seen) customer experience.' Previously, LG Electronics launched the space interior appliance 'LG Objet Collection' in 2020, showcasing expert-selected color appliances. Among the refrigerators with top refrigeration and bottom freezing sold since early this year, the Objet Collection lineup accounts for nearly 90%. This means a reorganization focused on space appliances. Although customers wanted to change colors, there was a drawback of having to pay for panel replacement and additional costs, but the new product allows color changes with just a touch on the 'LG ThinQ' app.

New technology was also introduced. Using LED (Light Emitting Diode) light sources and a light guide plate that evenly diffuses the light coming from the source, the Mood Up function was implemented on the refrigerator door surface. Customers can combine and apply colors as they wish from 22 colors for the upper door and 19 colors for the lower door, including Objet Collection colors, through the LG ThinQ app. For refrigerators with four doors that have top refrigeration and bottom freezing, more than 170,000 color combinations are possible.

LG Electronics provides seasonal, space, and healing themed options in the LG ThinQ app so customers can easily enjoy the Mood Up function without worrying about color combinations. The seasonal theme consists of colors expressing the characteristics of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The space theme expresses the sensibilities of famous world cities such as Paris, Santorini, and Waikiki, giving a feeling of a virtual trip. The healing theme is decorated with colors representing dawn, sunset, rain, etc., along with sound. Even without using the LG ThinQ app, customers can change the product color with simple voice commands including the theme name, such as "Hi LG, set it to 'Autumn Autumn' color."

The new product lights up in a preset color when the customer approaches within about 60cm of the front of the product. Once the color lights up, it remains for 30 minutes and then automatically turns off. The color retention time can be set in 5-minute increments from 5 to 30 minutes.

Among the new products, the refrigerator with top refrigeration and bottom freezing is equipped with a Bluetooth speaker. Customers can enjoy a music collection consisting of 69 music tracks through the Bluetooth speaker. The music collection includes tracks suitable for situations such as tea time, birthday parties, kids, and lounges. Customers can select the music collection in the LG ThinQ app or say the theme name, such as "Hi LG, play 'Tea Time,'" and music will play from the speaker. When 'Party Mode' is set in the music collection, the refrigerator door colors change to various colors or flash in sync with exciting music to create a party atmosphere. The Bluetooth speaker in the new product can also connect to smart devices such as smartphones and tablets. After connection, customers can play various music using the music streaming platform they use, enhancing the kitchen atmosphere.

The Mood Up not only lights up when the customer approaches but also provides an alarm function that turns the product lighting on and off by itself, communicating with the customer. If the refrigerator door remains open for a long time, the lighting flashes to alert an abnormal state. At dark night, when the customer approaches the refrigerator to drink water, the lower door lighting turns on to help avoid collisions. The basic colors of the new product are Lux Gray for the upper compartment and Lux White for the lower compartment. Even when the door lighting is off, the sophisticated colors and luxurious texture inspired by natural rock surfaces harmonize with any interior space.

LG Electronics analyzed refrigerator usage data from 13,000 customers and found that during summer, most customers opened and closed the refrigerator door an average of 19.4 times per day, with a maximum of 41.3 times. Based on 41.3 times, when the new product's door lighting is on for 30 minutes by default, the total time the door lighting is on per day is estimated to be about 11 hours. In this case, the electricity bill could increase by about 2,700 KRW per month (excluding progressive tax) compared to existing refrigerators of the same class.

Additionally, LG Electronics filed about 50 new patents including the structural design of the LED and light guide plate to implement the Mood Up function, bezel-less panels that eliminate blind spots of light on the door, and technology that dissipates heat generated from the panel.

LG Electronics also applied the smart appliance on-device AI chip independently developed by the SIC Center under CTO (Chief Technology Officer) Kim Byunghoon's division for the first time in the new product. The new product is equipped with an AI integrated module based on this chip, providing various user experiences (UX) for customer experience innovation, such as high-performance voice recognition and connectivity functions using wireless communication like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

The LG Dios Objet Collection Mood Up consists of three models: two top refrigeration and bottom freezing refrigerators with or without the Knock-On function, and a kimchi refrigerator. The capacity of the product with the Knock-On function is 604 liters, the regular product is 601 liters, and the kimchi refrigerator is 322 liters.

LG Electronics plans to launch the new product domestically within this month and expand to overseas markets from next year.

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