Abstract: In a method for controlling at least one function of a household appliance, a control device senses contactlessly the presence of a user's hand in a sensing space. A characteristic of the sensed hand is detected by the control device, and a function of the household appliance is actuated using the detected characteristic.

Abstract: A system for implementing a technical process on a domestic appliance includes a graphic editor, which allows the technical process to be described using graphical elements in order to create a graphical representation of the technical process. A translator unit, converts the individual graphic elements into instructions in a metalanguage to create a metalanguage file which describes the technical process in the metalanguage. The metalanguage is able to describe technical processes of many types of domestic appliances. An interpreter in a hardware module of the domestic appliance converts the instructions of the metalanguage file into software code, specific to the type of domestic appliance, for executing the technical process on the domestic appliance. The interpreter depends on the type of domestic appliance among the many types of domestic appliances.

Abstract: A dishwasher, in particular a domestic dishwasher, includes a washing compartment for accommodating items to be washed, a container delimiting the washing compartment, a pump for circulating washing liquid in the container, a wash program control apparatus for executing at least one wash program and for activating the pump, and at least one optical detector connected to the wash program control apparatus for optically detecting at least one compartment section or segment of the washing compartment. The wash program control device adjusts the wash program based on the state in the washing compartment detected by the optical detector. The optical detector is rotatably mounted inside the container so that different compartment sections or segments of the washing compartment are detected by the optical detector in dependence on or as a function of the position and/or the location of the optical detector.