WLabs™ of Whirlpool Corporation Cements Its Status as Innovator to Beat at CES® 2019

Bringing three innovations to the marketplace, WLabs is making its mark on the smart kitchen

News provided by

Jan 03, 2019, 11:10 ET

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Three smart home innovations from WLabs™, Whirlpool Corporation's innovation incubator, will be showcased at CES® 2019, cementing the corporation as the innovator to beat and challenging the status quo of kitchen appliances. From an oven, small enough for the counter and another redefining the functionality of the traditional oven door, to the official in-market availability of its popular at-home food recycler, WLabs is a true leader, introducing products that will redefine their categories.

"Innovations from WLabs are designed to deliver on people's unanswered questions and pain points," said Doug Searles, General Manager, WLabs of Whirlpool Corporation. "Our engineers and designers push the boundaries of what the general public knows and recognizes as a Whirlpool product, and redefine what a home appliance can achieve. Whether delivering on a specific, singular need, or making multiple steps in the cooking process easier, each of the WLabs innovations coming to the marketplace give us a view of what the future of cooking will look like."

Three groundbreaking products from WLabs will become available to consumers, including:

Planned for launch in 2019, Smart Countertop Oven - Engineered to fit easily on your counter, the Smart Countertop Oven uses leading food identification technology to detect select foods. The appliance automatically recognizes the type of food (and its starting temperature - fresh or frozen) placed inside and sets the time and temperature needed for a personalized and perfected result. Additional features will include: *

Live-look-in for those who can't resist checking in on their dinner and real-time monitoring
An internal doneness test (with smart food thermometer) to ensure your food is perfectly cooked all the way through
One-touch start to reduce confusion in choosing between broil or bake
Preheat times that are built into cooking algorithms for many foods, reducing the lag time between starting your appliance and inserting the food
Scan-to-Cook Technology that allows users to easily cook some of their frozen favorites**
Voice Activation with the Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa to keep your hands free†

Whirlpool® Connected Hub Wall Oven - This concept, a vision for a central cooking hub, will be an enhancement to the traditional built-in wall oven, and will feature a sizable screen with a transparent user interface (compared to a normal LCD screen), offering a brand-new and elevated cooking experience.

Via the expanded LCD screen, consumers will be able to unlock leading-edge connected cooking features:

Provides recipe browse and search by working with the Yummly® digital recipe platform acquired by Whirlpool Corporation in 2017
Shopping delivery services
Step-by-step cooking instructions - including video
Food detection and instructions
Window viewing size selection
Capabilities for zooming in via the touch screen to help check food's doneness

Zera™ Food Recycler - First introduced at CES 2017, Zera™ Food Recycler is a first-of-its-kind way to recycle food at home and reduce food waste in 24 hours‡. Following a fully-funded early backer campaign on Indiegogo, Zera™ Food Recycler will be accessible via an app, and a functional kitchen appliance will be available for purchase online in early 2019. Visit ww.zera.com for more details.

Born in 2015, WLabs™ innovation incubator is the embodiment of Whirlpool Corporation's commitment to finding new solutions to consumer's real life problems. By having a dedicated team focused solely on finding new ways to serve consumers, WLabs pushes the envelope and keeps Whirlpool Corporation at the forefront of innovation.

WLabs innovations are among several smart home product announcements from Whirlpool Corporation at CES® 2019. From January 8-11, CES® attendees can get up close to all of the appliance maker's innovations at booth #41925 in the Smart Home section, located at the Sands Expo Center.

For more information on the corporation's products and to join the conversation, follow #ConnectToMore #CES2019.

* WiFi & App required for connected features. Features subject to change. Details and privacy info at whirlpool.com/connect. Appliance must be set to Remote Enable for remote control capabilities.
** Select frozen foods only.
† Voice control availability may vary by region.
‡Based on estimated 3.5 kg weekly food waste for average US family. Zera Additive required and available for purchase separately. May emit odors during cycle.

Google is a trademark of Google LLC. Amazon, Alexa and all related logos are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. CES® is a registered trademark of Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™.

About Whirlpool Corporation:
Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is the world's leading major home appliance company, with approximately $21 billion in annual sales, 92,000 employees and 70 manufacturing and technology research centers in 2017. The company markets Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Consul, Brastemp, Amana, Bauknecht, Jenn-Air, Indesit and other major brand names in nearly every country throughout the world. Additional information about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com, or find us on Twitter at @WhirlpoolCorp.

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation