The Good Housekeeping Institute isn't the only one celebrating its 100th birthday this year. IFA, Europe's largest tech show is too. It's held in Berlin, boasts Albert Einstein as one of its early guests, and is where countless brands showcase their most forward-thinking wares.
While it started out with a focus on radio tech, these days its remit is much larger, and as its slogan 'Innovation For All' suggests, it's a great place for us to discover what will be revolutionising your home in the not too distant future.
From TVs to laptops to robot vacuums, there's a whole world of gadgets to discover – but rather than give you a list of products you can't buy yet, we've pulled out three key trends that are worth knowing about.
There's one that might influence your Christmas list, another to take advantage of when re-doing your kitchen (or an appliance next breaks!), and a final trend which is fun, but probably not taking over any time soon…
Viral products coming to a kitchen near you
AI gets a friendly rebrand
AI is coming for your kitchens, laundry, and well, your whole home. But according to lots of brands at IFA, that's only a good thing. We’ve seen it already with Samsung’s Bespoke AI, but brands such as Haier, LG, and Hisense are rolling out ovens that monitor your cooking (stopping food from burning), washing machines that determine the right settings for your clothes based on what and how dirty they are, and fridge freezers that tell you when your food is almost over.
This is properly useful tech — the sort of thing that doesn't sound glamorous but will make life easier. And that's why LG is calling it "Affectionate Intelligence" — because there's nothing scary about this form of AI, and how genuinely helpful it will be in your home.
It may even save you money on energy bills too. Haier, for example, says its X Series 11 washing machine and tumble dryers (both already GHI-approved), have an 'A-50%' energy rating – i.e. they're substantially more efficient than the current best rating.
So, next time you need to replace an appliance, look out for one with smart capabilities. These days it doesn't mean just connecting to an app with no tangible benefits — often it opens a whole new range of possibilities, settings and nifty hacks.
There's a robot for (almost) everything
This is the trend that we can't see catching on any time soon but we absolutely love: robots. We're already huge fans of robot vacuums and robot lawnmowers here at the GHI, and were particularly taken by a pool cleaning robot we saw too (even though none of us have a pool that needs sprucing).
But the pinnacle of the robots on display at IFA was miniature assistants. They’re not quite the all-cleaning, all-cooking robots that we dream of, but they keep you company, assess your mood and help you control the smart tech around your home. Sort of like a levelled-up Alexa or Google Home.
Samsung’s Ballie has a built in projector, while Hisense’s Smart Home Assistant (called Harley) dances to cheer you up and LG’s Self-Driving AI Home Hub can patrol your home and keep pets or children company.
We don’t think they’ll be joining our households any time soon, and who knows how much they'd cost if they were actually for sale. But they're all pretty cute, so maybe one day in the coming decade these will be the products on our Christmas wish list.
Hannah is our homes editor, specialising in reviewing the latest kitchen appliances, cleaning products, mattresses and bedding, and crafting equipment. Hannah has written about hundreds of products, from air fryers to smoothie makers to pillows, and is committed to finding the most reliable and best value for money buys.
Hannah is also interested in sustainability in the home and has completed a course with the University of the Arts London in sustainable textiles, so she can help cut through the noise on what’s green and what’s not. Hannah has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously worked as a freelance lifestyle and women’s sports journalist, working for Stylist, Sky Sports and more.
Hannah has also previously worked in a florist and can normally be found caring for her house plants or sewing something new for her home or wardrobe.
