Internet Home Alliance Announces Results of Laundry Time Pilot.

Laundry Room of the Future Found to Simplify Laundry Task

ATLANTA -- New research from Internet Home Alliance, a cross-industry network of leading companies advancing the connected home market, promises that an "intelligent" laundry solution can, indeed,

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According to the results of the Alliance's Laundry Time Pilot, an eight-week, real-world test of a connected laundry room, Laundry Time is a viable solution that represents an improvement over regular washer and dryer functionality. Pilot participants said that connecting washers and dryers to a central home system makes sense and promises to be a beneficial component in a home control system. Remote notification stood out as a key benefit, enabling participants to handle the laundry chore more efficiently thus processing more loads during the day.

Conducted in three Atlanta homes from May 30 through September 7, 2006, the study involved products, services and intelligence from some of the nation's top technology and consumer products companies including Whirlpool Corporation, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft Corp., Panasonic and Procter & Gamble. In 2005, the Internet Home Alliance tested its successful Mealtime pilot which demonstrated how a connected kitchen can simplify meal preparation tasks. Both studies were conducted by Zanthus, a technology marketing research firm, under the direction of the Alliance.

The Laundry Time system connects a washer and dryer to a home network and delivers messages about the status of laundry and washer/dryer progress to home PCs, TVs, and cell phones. The system was developed with the goal of providing consumers with greater appliance and time efficiency. Its revolutionary technology enables consumers to manage the laundry process from remote locations such as a grocery store or soccer game, freeing them up to go about their day rather than forcing them to stay home to manage the process.

"I love the pop-up notifications as I tend to forget everything when I am working," said Laundry Time Pilot participant Lisa Gunning of Roswell, Georgia. "It really does save time as it allows me to get my laundry done while I am doing other things."

In addition to efficiency, Gunning also found family involvement in the laundry process with the remote notification of the system. "On odd days when I just do one load at night, getting the alerts on the TV is great. Even when I'm not watching TV, one of the kids will come and remind me."