Humidifiers that maintain proper humidity in cold and dry weather have become a daily necessity. Luna Square Smart Humidifier 2 (pictured) made by Smart Home Appliance manufacturer LG Dysaver is an "Internet of Things (IoT) humidifier" that can be operated remotely with a smartphone. If a dedicated app (Luna Square IoT) is installed on a smartphone, all functions such as humidification volume control, heating humidification, and aroma effects can be remotely controlled through wireless Internet and Wi-Fi. Kang Hyun-woo, head of LG Dysaver's marketing division, said, "It is convenient to turn on the humidifier even at an out of reach distance before going to bed, and to increase the dry indoor humidity after going out for a long time in advance. It is a useful product for families with infants or households that raise pets and plants, he explained.
The humidifier can be linked to KT's "Giga Genie" and Naver's "Clova," which are artificial intelligence (AI) speakers. It works only with the user's voice command, "Let's turn on the humidifier." Among humidifier manufacturing brands, Samsung Electronics is also going to implement various functions by linking with SmartSings, Samsung Electronics' IoT and smart home platforms.
Air cleaning function is also a charm of this product. It removes harmful substances and odors from the air by combining an air filter that filters out up to 99% of the dust of 0.3μm (1μm = 1 millionth of a meter) particles smaller than ultrafine dust.
 
This product is a combined humidifier capable of ultrasonic and heating. If the heating and humidification function is used, it can be heated to about 90 degrees, sterilizing up to 99.9% of the three major bacteria, Pneumococcus, and Staphylococcus aureus. The electricity bill is one-third that of a regular heated humidifier.
 
Another competitive advantage of this product is its cost-effectiveness. The company explained that it is 30 to 40 percent cheaper than existing large-capacity humidifiers. The company's sales increased by about 33% despite the COVID-19 incident last year. "We are selling products at Amazon in the U.S., the world's largest online shopping mall," said Hong Hyun-chul, president of LGDiscover. "We are also pushing for exports."
Reporter Ahn Dae-kyu: powerzanic@hankyung.com