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As UK Families Embrace Smart Living, New Research Shows They’re Seeking Ways to Cope with the Demands of Connected Homes

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One in four UK homes expected to own a smart washing machine by 2030, and 70% of smart device owners already feeling overwhelmed managing their tech

Persil and Comfort launch Smart Series® – the first laundry regime optimised for auto dose washing machines

LONDON, April 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — New research from Persil and Comfort reveals that while the UK is embracing smart home technology at speed, many households are feeling the pressure of managing it all – including busy parents navigating work, family and an expanding stack of connected devices – especially when they don’t have the right products to work alongside the smart appliances.

Smart appliances continue to grow in popularity, with 31% of Brits planning to buy a smart device in the next year and 46% saying smart tech improves their quality of life. But the study also shows that the convenience of connected living comes with new demands with 70% of smart device owners also admitting that they have sometimes felt ‘overwhelmed’ by having to use and manage smart tech. 

As a result, managing multiple connected devices without access to the right tools is adding new layers of responsibility and demanding greater time and attention – from updates and settings, to finding the right products that work with smart appliances, which, if not embraced, could result in those tech devices becoming redundant.

Key Findings

70% of smart device owners say they’ve felt overwhelmed managing their tech36% spend over an hour a day maintaining devices – equating to almost 8 hours a week that could be spent elsewhere74% of parents feel overwhelmed by smart tech and four in ten (42%) parents say that technology can get in the way of time with friends and familyEven Gen Z – keen adopters of smart tech – report struggles, with 74% feeling overwhelmed

Persil and Comfort are calling this group the ‘Tech Sandwich Generation’: Millennial and Gen X parents squeezed between work, caregiving and the added mental load of managing smart homes.

Smart homes need smarter products

With smart washing machines on the rise – one in four UK homes are expected to own an auto dose machine by 2030[1] – consumers are looking for products that work seamlessly with their appliances to help reduce ‘tech overwhelm’ and ensure they are making life easier rather than harder. Until now, no big brand laundry products have been designed specifically for auto dose machine technology, leading to issues like poor cleaning, fading fragrance in the machine and residue build–up.

That’s why Persil and Comfort are launching Smart Series®, its first detergent and conditioner engineered specifically for auto dose washing machines, in collaboration with Samsung.

Developed using state-of-the-art robotics and AI accelerated digital testing, Smart Series® works in total sync with the machine to deliver precise, reliable dosing. Powered by PRO-CISION Technology® it delivers advanced stain removal, fragrance that doesn’t fade in the machine and anti-clogging formulations that flow easily through auto dose reservoir systems to help maintain machine health.  This solves key consumer pain points and enables the tech they’ve invested in to perform at its best, delivering the convenience it was designed to provide.

Tati Lindenberg, Chief Marketing Officer, Unilever Home Care, said: “Smart home tech is reshaping daily life, but many consumers feel overwhelmed by managing it all. The Tech Sandwich Generation wants solutions that simplify, not complicate. Smart Series® is designed to work in harmony with auto dose machines, delivering top results every time and taking one more decision off busy households’ plates.”

Persil and Comfort are addressing this insight through a new campaign, initially unveiling a fictional humanoid robot called D.O.S.E (‘Detergent Optimisation & Smart Estimation’) capable of calculating and dispensing the perfect amount of detergent as Unilever’s latest home care breakthrough – before revealing it as a creative tease designed to show that consumers don’t necessarily need a robot or another device, they need smarter household products that work seamlessly with the smart technology they already have.

Notes to Editors: 

The breakthrough Smart Series® offers consumers a complete smart auto dose washing regime from two of Unilever’s most trusted brands. The system includes Persil Smart Series® Advanced Clean Non-Bio and Comfort Smart Series® Azure Bliss and are recommended by Samsung and suitable for use in all auto dose washing machines.Smart Series® will test-launch from 19 March 2026 and can be purchased at smartseries.com.

Research Methodology

Based on a Kantar survey for Unilever Home Care; 1,279 nationally representative respondents in the UK aged 16+ were surveyed online between 19th Feb 2026 and 23rd Feb 2026.

About Unilever:
Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care and Foods products, with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 3.7 billion people every day. We have 96,000 employees and generated sales of €50.5 billion in 2025.

For more information about Unilever and our brands, please visit www.unilever.com.

[1] Euromonitor Unilever Auto Dose Washing Machine Universe Report, August 2022

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Baidu to Report First Quarter 2026 Financial Results on May 18, 2026

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BEIJING, April 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Baidu, Inc. (Nasdaq: BIDU; HKEX: 9888 (HKD Counter) and 89888 (RMB Counter)) (“Baidu” or the “Company”), a leading AI company with strong Internet foundation, today announced that it will report its financial results for the First Quarter 2026 ended March 31, 2026, before the U.S. market opens on May 18, 2026. Baidu’s management will hold an earnings conference call at 8:00 AM on May 18, 2026, U.S. Eastern Time (8:00 PM on May 18, 2026, Beijing Time).

Please register in advance of the conference call using the link provided below. It will automatically direct you to the registration page of “Baidu Inc. Q1 2026 Earnings Conference Call”. Please follow the steps to enter your registration details, then click “Register”. Upon registering, you will then be provided with the dial-in number, the passcode, and your unique access PIN. This information will also be emailed to you as a calendar invite.

For pre-registration, please click:
https://s1.c-conf.com/diamondpass/10054331-iu876y.html

In the 10 minutes prior to the call start time, you may use the conference access information (including dial-in number(s), the passcode and unique access PIN) provided in the calendar invite that you have received following your pre-registration.

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of this conference call will be available at https://ir.baidu.com.

A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the following number until May 25, 2026:
US: 1 855 883 1031
Reply PIN: 10054331

About Baidu

Founded in 2000, Baidu’s mission is to make the complicated world simpler through technology. Baidu is a leading AI company with strong Internet foundation, trading on Nasdaq under “BIDU” and the HKEX under “9888.” One Baidu ADS represents eight Class A ordinary shares.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/baidu-to-report-first-quarter-2026-financial-results-on-may-18-2026-302751204.html

SOURCE Baidu, Inc.

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Phase 1 of 139th Canton Fair Introduces New Dedicated Product Zones as Emerging Technologies Take Center Stage

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GUANGZHOU, China, April 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The 139th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) has further optimized its exhibition landscape with nine new dedicated product zones, reflecting ongoing structural shifts in global trade and the continued upgrading of China’s export portfolio.

Among the most closely watched additions in Phase 1 are the consumer and agricultural drone zones, both making their debut at the Canton Fair and offering a focused showcase of applications in the low‑altitude economy. The consumer drone zone showcases progress in flight control, AI‑based obstacle avoidance and energy efficiency across imaging, tourism, emergency response and patrol. The agricultural drone zone highlights precision farming, with spraying, seeding and field‑management demonstrations showing terrain‑following, intelligent route planning, and precise payload control.

On day one, a Shandong‑based drone manufacturer welcomed buyers from 30+ countries, with over 50 strong leads. One buyer, after seeing load and wind‑resistance demonstrations, immediately confirmed three sample units and even proposed becoming a regional distributor.

Display technology is another focal point of Phase 1, highlighting advances in color accuracy, energy efficiency, and overall visual performance. Developments in fine‑grained control, expanded color gamut, and reduced power consumption point to a clear trend toward immersive viewing experiences combined with sustainability gains.

The smart wearables zone underscores how intelligent devices are becoming key interfaces for human‑machine interaction. From real‑time language translation and adaptive noise cancellation to long‑term health monitoring and AI‑enabled eyewear, wearables are evolving from standalone products into integrated systems that support communication, well‑being, and productivity across daily and professional settings.

The service robots zone further illustrates how artificial intelligence is moving from conceptual exploration to large‑scale deployment. Advanced robots showcased across industrial, commercial, medical, and public‑service scenarios demonstrate growing autonomy, multi‑sensory perception, and closer human-robot collaboration.

By bringing emerging technologies into clearer focus through dedicated zones, the 139th Canton Fair is reinforcing its function as a platform where trade trends take shape, innovation meets application, and global buyers gain early insights into cutting-edge technologies.

For pre-registration, please click: https://buyer.cantonfair.org.cn/register/buyer/email?source_type=16

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OZMOSI Announces Strategic Partnership with Planview to Advance AI-Driven Planning in Pharmaceutical R&D

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By combining structured clinical intelligence with AI-driven portfolio planning, the partnership gives pharmaceutical teams a faster, clearer way to make high-stakes R&D decisions

SPRING LAKE HEIGHTS, N.J., April 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — OZMOSI, a leading provider of structured pharmaceutical development intelligence, today announced a strategic partnership with Planview, the leading AI-powered end-to-end platform for Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) and Digital Product Delivery (DPD).

By integrating OZMOSI’s machine-readable clinical datasets directly into Planview’s AI-driven portfolio planning platform, external scientific data is now connected to internal R&D planning in one system,  helping pharmaceutical organizations better predict market shifts, prioritize R&D investments, and make faster, more confident decisions.

This integration brings external clinical reality into internal R&D decision-making, so teams can plan based on what’s actually happening, not just on what they hope will happen.

The two organizations combine deep expertise in complementary areas, united by a shared focus on improving the quality and usability of data for strategic decision-making. OZMOSI provides structured, machine-readable intelligence across clinical trials, drug development programs, regulatory activity, and scientific literature, built on a consistent taxonomy that standardizes how data is connected and understood. Planview’s platform enables organizations to model complex investment scenarios, align initiatives with corporate strategy, and optimize resource allocation.

Together, these capabilities give teams a clearer, more complete view of the R&D landscape, grounded in clean, standardized data and strengthened by AI-driven analysis.

“AI is only as powerful as the data that fuels it,” said Beau Bush, President and Founder of OZMOSI. “Pharmaceutical organizations have no shortage of data, but too often it’s fragmented, inconsistent, and difficult to operationalize. By bringing OZMOSI’s structured data foundation together with Planview’s AI-driven planning capabilities, we’re enabling teams to move beyond disconnected analysis and toward truly integrated, forward-looking decision-making.”

“Strategic planning in pharmaceutical R&D is becoming increasingly dependent on advanced analytics and AI,” said  Louise Allen, Chief Product Officer at Planview. “Integrating OZMOSI’s clinical intelligence into Planview’s platform enables pharmaceutical leaders to make better decisions by combining trusted external data with AI-driven planning

OZMOSI’s dataset spans more than 800,000 clinical trials, over 35,000 drugs, and 4,000 diseases and conditions. It brings together insights from clinical trial registries, regulatory filings, scientific literature, company disclosures, and industry announcements into a unified, structured dataset.

When integrated into Planview’s platform, this intelligence enables pharmaceutical and biotech organizations to evaluate competitive landscapes, identify emerging clinical trends, and simulate portfolio outcomes with unprecedented precision.

Together, OZMOSI and Planview are redefining how pharmaceutical organizations approach R&D strategy, ensuring that investment decisions are guided by accurate, standardized, and AI-ready data. By combining internal portfolio visibility with a continuously updated external view of the market, the partnership helps leaders not only understand what they have, but what to do next.

About OZMOSI

Founded in 2013, OZMOSI specializes in transforming complex pharmaceutical R&D intelligence into structured, machine-readable data. The company provides the foundation needed for accurate competitive analysis, product forecasting, and portfolio strategy. Through its proprietary taxonomy and semantic layer, OZMOSI connects fragmented data across the pharmaceutical ecosystem, enabling faster, more confident decision-making for global pharma, biotech, and investment teams.

Based in Spring Lake Heights, New Jersey, OZMOSI is focused on making pharmaceutical intelligence clear, usable, and ready for the future of AI-driven strategy. Learn more at www.ozmosi.com.

About Planview

Planview is the leading end-to-end platform for Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) and Digital Product Delivery (DPD), powered by advanced AI capabilities that give business and technology leaders the strategic foresight to prioritize investments and initiatives, make plans real within constraints, and pivot with certainty when things change. Our AI-driven connected platform of solutions underpins the business and digital transformations of more than 3,000 customers and 3.1 million users globally. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Planview has over 1,500 employees worldwide. Learn more at www.planview.com.

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SOURCE Ozmosi Company

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