Remember the Laundroid, the robot promising to make the folding of laundry a thing of the past seen back at CES 2016? Seven Dreamers returns to this year's CES with an updated prototype and a launch date.

The Laundroid continues to bear an ominous resemblance to HAL 9000, the malevolent AI from 2001: A Space Odyssey, even if Tokyo-based Seven Dreamers insists its purpose remains to simply fold the laundry. One will be able to dump clean and dry clothes in the cabinet-style machine, and before too long (or around 4 hours, depending on the size of the load) it will all be folded automatically.

The latest prototype has the capacity of 30-40 pieces of clothing (depending on size), and takes around 5 minutes to fold one item. More complex clothing, such as dress shirts, may require more time. Operation promises to be quiet at around 35db, and it even has two sorting modes-- either by category (towels, shirts, etc) or person/family member, since the Laundroid can register a piece of clothing with a particular user.

The Tetra is the kind of unusual home appliance one only tends to see at CES 2018-- a compact countertop number able to not only wash a handful of dishes, but also... cook seafood?

Developed by connected water heater maker Heatworks and design firm frog, the Tetra is designed to handle the dishwashing needs of 2-person household. As such, it is large enough to hold 10 plates or 12 pint glasses. It promises to use less water than handwashing, without the need to wait for enough dishes dishes to fill a larger dishwasher.

“Our research indicates that although the average household is comprised of 2.58 people, the modern dishwasher holds place settings for 13 or more,” Heatworks says. “This makes people believe that they either need to handwash their few dirty dishes-- which wastes 10 times more water than using a dishwasher-- or wait for a fill load to run a cycle. With Tetra, we hope to change people's mindset.”

Whirlpool announces what it claims is a first at CES 2018-- connected appliances from the company get Apple Watch compatibility, taking their capabilities "to new heights."

This means customers will be able to control over 20 ovens, washers and dryers via the smartwatch. Controls including checking on current oven status and commands during an active cycle, controlling the wash options of a washer active cycle, and controlling and checking whether a dryer started a cycle.

Not even the shower is a space where customers are free from virtual assistants-- the U by Moen smart shower features Siri and Alexa control to provide a desired water temperature or settings through voice control.

As seen at CES 2018, the U by Moen system consists of a digital valve able to control water temperature by the digit. The valve can be applied to fixtures such as shower heads, hand showers and body sprays, and can is controllable via in-shower control pad as well as companion U by Moen app.

Wink adds a wireless audio maker in its lineup of partner companies-- Sonos, specifically through the compatibility of Wink Hub 2 with all Sonos products.

As Wink puts it, the Hub 2 is a control panel for all connected devices. Customers simply need to connect the Sonos products to the same wifi network as the Hub 2, before pairing through the Wink app. Customer get a number of controls, such as auto-playing tracks or playlists when someone enters the house, or adding music a Wink Shortcut allowing one to dim the lights, adjust temperature and play specific music through a single tap.

Motorised window coverings from Somy Systems get voice control through the Alexa-enabled myLink, allowing customers to control connected products using simple, natural phrases.

Controls include raising or lowering shades, exterior screens, rolling shutters, opening or closing blinds or draperies, and retracting awnings. The Somfy Alexa skill allows voice control of all Radio Technology Somfy (RTS) motorised products controlled by the myLink app, as well as scenes and schedules.