Samsung Expands Auto Open Door Feature Across Home Appliances for Greater Convenience and Hygiene
Samsung Electronics is making daily tasks more convenient with the expansion of its Auto Open Door feature, now available on a broad range of home appliances—including refrigerators, ovens, washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers.
This smart functionality enables doors to open automatically, improving hygiene and user convenience, particularly when hands are full or when air circulation is needed after a wash cycle.
Smarter, More Hygienic Appliance Use
Samsung’s latest Bespoke AI Laundry Combo (2025) takes this innovation a step further. It not only opens the door automatically after a wash cycle but also activates air circulation, helping reduce up to 40% of residual moisture left in the drum—minimizing the risk of musty odors and improving overall appliance hygiene.
Voice Control, Now Even More Effortless
Starting in 2025, users no longer need to say “Hi Bixby” to trigger the feature. A simple voice command like “Open the fridge door” is enough, thanks to advanced on-device voice recognition technology.
To learn more about the innovation behind Auto Open Door, Samsung Newsroom sat down with Nae-young Park, from the Washing Machine Module Lab (Digital Appliances Division), and Chang-Woo Han, from the AI Solution Team at Samsung Research.
Behind the Innovation: Q&A with the Developers
Q: What inspired the development of Auto Open Door?
Park: We wanted to address real-life inconveniences. When people are carrying groceries or doing laundry, having to set items down just to open a door can be frustrating. We also focused on reducing leftover moisture in laundry machines to prevent odors and improve hygiene
Q: What were the key challenges in development?
Park: The door’s opening angle and speed were crucial. We tested angles in 1-degree increments and fine-tuned the mechanism to ensure a smooth, natural opening. For washing machines, we even measured oxygen levels at various angles to optimize air circulation and moisture reduction.
Q: How does the voice feature work without saying “Hi Bixby”?
Han: We designed the system to stay in low-power standby mode, using low-latency, on-device automatic speech recognition (ASR). It detects and responds to direct phrases like “Open the fridge door” instantly and efficiently, without relying on cloud processing or external triggers.
Q: What was done to ensure accurate voice recognition?
Han: Training high-quality voice recognition requires massive amounts of data. Instead of manually recording thousands of samples, we used zero-shot text-to-speech (TTS) technology. This allows us to synthesize voice data in various tones and accents, simulating real human speech to train our models faster and more efficiently.
Q: What’s next for Auto Open Door?
Park: We’re working to bring this feature to even more appliances, with the goal of making smart home interaction effortless for everyone—regardless of age or physical ability.
Han: In 2025, we also launched Voice ID, which recognizes individual family members, and wake-word-free control. We’ll continue enhancing these features and creating personalized user experiences.
A Future of Effortless Living
Samsung’s Auto Open Door is a clear example of user-centered innovation—transforming everyday routines into seamless, smart experiences. As Samsung continues to expand this feature across more products, consumers can expect a more intuitive, responsive, and convenient home environment.
