By Cho Jin-seo
Staff reporter

Care for people, and care for the environment. This summer, LG Electronics is introducing the latest version of its "Whisen" air conditioner. It features automatic sensors that monitor movement and the skin temperature of people in the room, and accordingly controls wind power and direction. In addition, its innovation in energy saving technology will save on electricity bills for its owners and reduce carbon emissions for the environment.

The key to the "Human Care" system is to cool down the skin of people inside the room to 34.5 degree as soon as possible.

"It took seven years to conduct simulations on some 2,000 people to develop the 'human-adaptive' computer algorithm," the company says. The researchers at LG's air conditioning laboratory have found that people, on average, feel most refreshed when their skin temperature is lowered to around 33.5 to 34.5 degrees.

The new Whisen air conditioners are fitted with a turbo-cooling system that blows out a gale of cold air to people nearby. The result is three times as fast a cooling effect on people. This turbo cooling may be a simple idea, but it is what people have always wanted after a day of sweating on a tennis court or golf course, but no electronics maker has provided it before.

Surprisingly, LG managed to slim down its energy consumption despite such a powerful feature. The Whisen air conditioner can save up to 72 percent on electricity bills when compared to conventional products, LG says, thanks to its smart sensors.

Air quality is another big issue for LG's engineers. With help from health experts at LG Life Sciences, they developed a hybrid anti-biotic system. It is composed of a Total Virus Filter that takes care of harmful viruses that came into the system, and a Nano Plasma Ionizer, which emits tiny ions into the air to kill germs floating in the room.

All these technologies are packaged inside a stylish box. LG is already well-known for its artistic touch when it comes to the exterior of its household products. The high-end model, called "Starlight," has its front panel embroidered with Swarovski crystal pieces as the stars in the sky. And LG has invited British artist Neville Brody and Italian design master Alessandro Mendini to create patterns and casings for a range of Whisen air conditioners. The result is a cool masterpiece of art and engineering.