Whirlpool tests “smart” washers and dryers
Whirlpool Corp. is looking to speed up the day when most consumers will be able to monitor and control appliances from their computers and cell phones.
The world’s largest appliance company on Tuesday began testing “smart” washing machines and dryers at three homes in metropolitan Atlanta.
The pilot project, called “Laundry Time,” is designed to making doing laundry easier by sending alerts to consumers via televisions, computers and cell phones.
In a recent demonstration of the project at a Whirlpool studio in Atlanta, messages from a specially equipped front-loading washer popped up in real time on a television screen in a different room.
Consumers can also get instant messages from computers or cell phones telling them, for instance, that a wash cycle is completed or that a dryer has not been turned on.
