Development of a Rule-Based Decision Support System for Connected Washing Machine to Select Appropriate Wash Program

The advent of connected appliances offers new opportunities for products to enhance the user experience with smartphone applications. Most new users of washing machines are not sure what the appropriate wash program is for their laundry. Contrast this with the designer of wash programs, who understands of the effect of each wash program.

IFB wants to leverage connectivity in order to solve this problem by developing a rule-based expert system that emulates suggestions created by the wash program designer. The challenges in developing a washing machine program selection system include processing the inputs (i.e., cloths, dirt, and color) and relating the inference to program parameters (i.e., wash rhythm, temperature, and water content), ensuring convenience to the end user. An iterative approach was necessary to fine-tune interaction between a decision support system for an end user with the algorithm development and final deployment.

This presentation explains how IFB used MATLAB^® and Fuzzy Logic Toolbox™ for user-centric development of a rule-based decision support system for connected washing machines, which was later transferred to a mobile app.