LG Electronics showcased its premium plant cultivator at last year's world's largest IT and home appliance exhibition, CES. [Photo by LG Electronics]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] As the time spent at home has increased due to COVID-19 and interest in food has risen, plant cultivation devices that allow for growing plants for ornamental and cultivation purposes are gaining attention. With products that automatically manage temperature and water supply to create optimal growth conditions entering the home appliance market, it is expected that these devices will soon become essential items for staying at home.
According to industry sources on the 20th, large corporations are expected to join the plant cultivation device market, which has been mainly formed by mid-sized companies until now, starting this year. LG Electronics is showing concrete movements in this area. It is known that they are currently checking the performance of a premium plant cultivation device with plans to launch it within the year.
LG Electronics already showcased a new concept premium plant cultivation device at the world's largest IT and home appliance exhibition (CES) last year. This cultivation device, shaped like a refrigerator, automates the complex process of growing vegetables. When an integrated seed package is placed on the internal shelves of the device and the door is closed, vegetable cultivation begins automatically.
According to LG Electronics, a total of four shelves can be used to grow 24 types of vegetables such as lettuce and kale, and similar vegetables like leafy greens, sprouts, and herbs can be cultivated together on each shelf. Sprouts take about two weeks, leafy greens about four weeks, and herbs about six weeks to fully grow.
This product incorporates LG Electronics' home appliance technology. It features temperature control technology and water supply control functions applied in refrigerators and water purifiers to automatically regulate temperature and moisture. Air conditioning technology is also integrated to manage the airflow inside the plant cultivation device. LED wavelength and light intensity control technology enhance the photosynthesis efficiency of the vegetables, and the growth status can be monitored in real-time via a smartphone application.
An industry insider said, "The trend is that plant cultivation devices are becoming part of home appliances, offering the joy of growing plants quickly and conveniently, along with the advantage of safely preparing food."
Samsung Electronics also privately introduced a home appliance-type plant cultivation device at CES last year. Although there are no official plans to mass-produce related products yet, they may unveil them anytime depending on demand. Previously, Kyowon Group's health appliance brand Wells launched a home plant cultivation device in 2017, and SK Magic announced its market entry by acquiring the home smart plant cultivation device research and development company 'AI Plus' in September last year.
Plant cultivation devices can be purchased outright or operated through rental services that provide intensive management. The domestic plant cultivation device market size, estimated by related industries, grew from 31.5 billion KRW in 2015 to 60 billion KRW last year. It is projected to expand to 500 billion KRW in 2023.
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