Samsung at the IFA: Finally a washing machine that doesn't get on your nerves
2.9.2018
Translation: machine translated
Video: Stephanie Tresch
Stressed about the laundry? So is Samsung. That's why the company that makes just about everything has invented a tumble dryer that talks to just about everything.
Washing laundry is annoying. You come home after a hard day, have to sort all the dirty laundry by temperature, then throw it in the washing machine. That's the easy part. Because after that comes the part that sours your everyday life: the waiting. A 30-degree wash cycle usually takes about 30 minutes on a short programme. That's too little to do anything useful and too long to just sit down and take a deep breath. At 60 degrees, around 45 minutes, you can at least watch an episode of a TV series if it's on at the time.
Then comes the drying. This takes even longer and you wait again until your socks, pants and bed linen are dry.
No.
That's not cool.
Samsung is now trying to put an end to this. Their solution is currently called the Samsung WD8800.
The smart tumble dryer
For Swiss people living in rented accommodation, the concept of a tumble dryer is rather unusual. A machine that washes and dries? Unthinkable! Where would that leave us, and what about the laundry schedules that Mr and Mrs Swiss have to adhere to religiously and which have already led to many a dispute in a block? Always a washing machine and a tumble dryer, preferably from VZug or Electrolux, and then there's peace and quiet in the block.
It's clear to everyone that this has no future. Samsung's WD8800 combines washing machine and tumble dryer, making half the laundry tower superfluous. This saves time and most likely also energy. What's more, the machine is easy on your nerves. Because once you've loaded the machine, you don't actually have to worry about anything. This is thanks to Smart Things, Samsung's ecosystem.
The WD8800 talks to everything. You can control it from your smartphone - whether Samsung or not, but it's better - and programme routines. Let's say you have an hour to get home from work. Your mobile registers that it's around your normal closing time and you're heading towards your home. It transmits this data to Smart Things and the system realises: You are on your way home. If you have given the WD8800 the relevant job as a routine, it will now start the laundry. You get home, the laundry is done. You have more free time.
That's good.
Unfortunately not for shared laundry rooms
But if you want to convince your landlord to put a WD8800 in the communal laundry room and get rid of the old Electrolux, then think twice. Because Smart Things is largely a personal ecosystem, or at least one that is customised for an entire household. Unfortunately, the system can't do anything with multiple households and Swiss washing schedules.
This means you have to buy your own machine. And you'll have to dig into your pocket. But the question is: how much is free time worth to you?
Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.
Smart home
Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest
17 comments
later