KBIS 2026: Top technologies that surprised us at the Smart Home Technology Show
KBIS (Kitchen and Bath Industry Show) is similar to CES but focuses purely on the home.
The show will feature many leading consumer brands such as Samsung and LG, as well as thousands of exhibitors and attendees. We’ve walked the halls to find the best technology, from smart technology to clever home appliances.
Now, let’s move on to the announcement of the winners… We would like to introduce the most impressive products from the exhibition hall.
Fotile Smart Food JQG7515
If you want to complete a smart kitchen, why not try installing a smart range hood?
Fotile’s 5th generation smart hood is both a design statement and a tech enthusiast’s dream, featuring Wi-Fi, Alexa compatibility, and highly responsive gesture activation that lets you open and close the hood without touching anything.
The centerpiece of the cake is the SynCook. This is a feature that connects the hood to a specific cooktop or oven range and automatically activates the smoke exhaust as soon as cooking begins.
GE Profile 27.9 Cu. Smart 4 Door French Door Refrigerator with Fort Kitchen Assistant
Thanks to its ingenious connectivity setup, this smart refrigerator can keep track of your shopping list and ensure you never run out of essentials.
Thanks to the built-in barcode scanner on the front, this refrigerator with kitchen assistant can keep track of everything you put inside, log everything in an app, create handy shopping lists, and use AI to generate recipes depending on what you have. If you run out of an item, you can get a replacement within 30 minutes thanks to our partnership with Instacart.
LG Signature Slide-in Series
AI is everywhere, and now it’s even in your microwave cooker. LG’s latest addition to its ever-expanding Signature line of high-end home appliances is a technology enthusiast’s dream. It connects to the brand’s ThinQ service, features a large 6.8-inch LCD for easy navigation, and uses a built-in camera and AI gourmet features to ensure every meal is perfect.
Kwikset Halo Select Plus
This smart Matter-enabled lock looks very simple on the surface, but it’s packed with a number of important features that make it stand out among the plethora of competitors.
Select Plus supports NFC and Apple Home keys, so you can unlock your iPhone or Apple Watch with a tap, without the need for an app or hub. You can choose between the Matter protocol, Wi-Fi, and the Kwikset app, but there’s also all the usual smart home integrations like Alexa, Apple Home, and Google Home.
Elsewhere, there’s a bright LED-backlit touchscreen for code entry and an internal sensor that alerts you when the door is ajar.
KitchenAid 30 Inch Smart Electric Double Wall Oven with Intelligent Cooking Functions
We don’t often talk about ovens here at The Ambient, but it’s rare to see one with as much smart technology as KitchenAid’s latest beauty. This is a fully connected oven that can be controlled by voice, mobile phone, or from the clear and easy-to-use display on the front.
But the star of the show is the built-in camera, which sends cooking footage directly to your smartphone so you can keep an eye on your bubbling lasagna or batch of cookies from anywhere.
However, that’s not all. The camera actually tells you what’s cooking, monitors the progress, and automatically adjusts the cooking time if necessary.
Whirlpool top-load washing machine with new industry-first delicates basket
Whirlpool showcased a number of smart home advancements at KBIS, but this top-load washing machine really caught our eye.
With support for Matter, it can easily be used as part of an already connected home without the need for additional hubs or additional accessories, and can be controlled by voice.
I also liked the addition of a delicates basket, although it may not be as smart. This is a removable internal basket for storing items you want the machine to process a little more. You no longer need to wash delicate products separately and you can remove the basket whenever you need more space.
