KBzine: the original kitchen and bathroom industry e-news - since 2002
28th January 2021
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Whirlpool's 'Kitchen of the Future' wows IFA fair visitors
As mentioned in last week's leader, Whirlpool presented its entire brand portfolio, for the first time, at the international fair, IFA in Berlin, over the past several days.
Thanks to the group's enormous stand which took in 3,200sq.m, visitors - including the media and trade partners - experienced the vast offering and very distinctive complementary brands; KitchenAid, Bauknecht, Whirlpool, Hotpoint and Indesit.
Whirlpool is lauded for its breakthrough innovation and resource-efficient appliances. Exhibited for the first time was the range of intuitive and easy to use appliances driven by the company's exclusive 6th Sense Live technology. IFA presented the stage to spotlight a range of Whirlpool freestanding appliances that can communicate and interact with us as individuals as well as each other, controlled via an app developed for use with both iOS and Android devices.
This range includes the Supreme NoFrost fridge freezer for optimum frost free climate for food preservation, reducing energy and food waste. It highlights new features and provides peace of mind while we are away from home, so we can control and monitor wherever we are. The Supreme Care washing machine and tumble dryer will revolutionise the way we do the laundry, allowing us to interact with our washer and dryer, where the washing machine will synchronise with the tumble dryer to set up the perfect programme for impeccable garment care.
The audience was wowed by the SmartCook induction hob, thought to be the first of its type on the market. It uses special sensors to monitor and control the temperature of the food accurately and at the same time offers a well-thought-our programme that guides users through food preparation and the flexible zones. Select up to four settings for each area (melting, boiling, simmer and warming) and the hob will automatically set and adjust the temperature accordingly. No more burnt dinners!
The event saw the European debut of the Interactive Kitchen of the Future 2.0, a concept cooking environment and fully connected social media hub that syncs all your devices with your kitchen appliances, so that everything and everyone you communicate with is within easy reach via existing services. The interactive splashback and hob connects to each user's social networks and favourite websites for recipes, for perfect entertainment planning, without the need for a 'phone, iPad or books. The interactive splashback with personalised touchscreen will facilitate live conversations with friends and family for hints and tips, while the oven switches on at the right time for dinner and the fridge sends an alert when food is at its freshest. It absorbs information from all other appliances predicting and adjusting needs according to task. It will track your guests via GPS and alert you if they are going to be delayed, while even suggesting the best wine to drink with your menu!
I particularly liked the fact that we were told when to put the champagne in the fridge and that we were out of the best wine to drink with the meal being prepared. Even better was the tip that the wine we were lacking was in stock in a store soon-to-be-arriving guest John was passing. We were asked if we wanted to text John to ask him to pick up the wine and when we approved of this the text was automatically sent. Then a message came in, asking if someone could bring another guest along. The kitchen worked out the extra proportions needed to feed the extra guest. All so very clever... The future is nearly here!
11th September 2015