LG Electronics is introducing a new line of sound bars with Google Assistant built-in at CES 2019. The product will function like a smart speaker, enabling users to control smart home devices via voice commands.
LG Electronics is introducing a new line of sound bars with Google Assistant built-in at CES 2019. The product will function like a smart speaker, enabling users to control smart home devices via voice commands.
The sound bar comes in three models, while SL9YG and SL10YG have picked up the 2019 CES Innovation Award. The former even won the Best of Innovation title.
The sound bar will act like a Google Home smart speaker. Users will be able to control the sound bar with a command like “Hey Google, increase the volume,” and to solicit information with a command like “Hey Google, which artist is playing?”
In addition, users can control connected devices at home using the sound bar with a command like “OK Google, ask LG to turn on the air purifier.”
Thanks to evolving technologies, today’s TVs are becoming thinner and thinner. A challenge that comes along is how to embed sophisticated audio hardware into the TVs. Manufacturers therefore devise the sound bar product category, and LG’s sound bar, just 2.25 inches deep, is one of the latest innovations.
The sound bar has a sleek design that matches
LG’s OLED TVs well. The sound bar can be either attached to a wall or placed on a flat surface. And the gyroscope sensor inside can gauge how the bar is positioned so as to adjust the broadcast of the sound for optimal audio experience.
The product is a collaboration between LG and Meridian Audio, the technology of which boosts the sense of immersion as if the audio comes from multiple directions. Meridian said, adding that the technology “envelops listeners in rich, uncompromising sound and strong bass.”
DIY smart device development kit
While big brands in Korea are presenting their new innovations, startups in the country will attend the CES too. One of them is Luxrobo Co., which will showcase Modi, a CES 2019 Innovation Award honoree.
Modi is a DIY IoT development kit that allows users to customize automation for their smart device creation. It consists of a series of modules which can be embedded in battery, LED, motor, button, speaker, etc. After a successful launch on Kickstarter, Modi will be introduced to the American consumers for the first time.
The DIY kit is designed for people without extensive programming knowledge. The accompanying Modi Studio lets users program different devices’ functionalities via a drag-and-drop graphical interface.
Modi may integrate with homes as the company is working with Hanwha Construction, one of the largest construction firms in South Korea, to offer its IoT platform as Hanwha’s built-in smart home IoT solution.
Luxrobo will also unveil its DIY smart home platform at CES. “By connecting MODI modules, MODI OS-embedded electronic devices and other IoT platforms through MODI IoT Hub, users can customize and code their own smart homes and smart classrooms,” the company said in a statement.
Modi works with other appliances at home including smart light and vacuum cleaner as well as Google Home and Amazon Echo, which in turn, enable users to control other appliances by voice. Also, the Modi app connects to Modi-enabled devices via Bluetooth, so that users may control the devices from their smartphone.