Think about the conveniences that smartphone and laptops have afforded: we can program our DVR while at the airport or in our cars home from work after getting the weather forecast for the next few hours while simultaneously downloading videos from friends and coworkers.
Given the particular developments made recently with product recognizing programs that operate using video technology and the live streaming info feeds that we’ve become accustomed to, appliance giant LG has made a bid that the next things that homeowners will want connected to the Internet will be their appliances; at least the Vice President Kim Young-Soo believes so.
Originally in 2000, Kim Young-Soo and his company LG released a fridge that was Wi-Fi enabled. While only ten years back, the technology simply wasn’t well received. With innovators coming out with new ways to use the Internet and technology every year, most features on the 2000 model will be upgraded by the time they hit the new, 2011 – 2012 Wi-Fi enabled fridges. Fridges aren’t where it stops though – remote-controlled vacuum cleaners with cameras and ovens that can determine the interior temperature of what you’re cooking using laser technology then email you in addition to dinging as usual when dinner is ready are just a couple of concepts LG is in the works over. Since the fridge will be the first appliance re-introduced by LG as a Wi-Fi enabled appliance with all of its new splendor, the features and specs are a bit more clear at this point.
Ideally the fridge will be connected to the Internet throughout the day to a steady wireless connection and homeowners will be able to adjust their refrigeration settings between three presets that will adjust temperature and energy use among other useful features. Programmable via smartphone or Internet-connected computer, users can switch between energy profiles depending on what foods and how much they have in their fridge. Above and beyond though, the fridge will feature many cameras that will scan items inside of the fridge. This information will be compiled for the appliance owner and an assortment of options are available from here. Recipes can be suggested based on the foods found in the fridge. When the “sell by” date comes close, the fridge can automatically alarm the family that there is something close to spoiling inside which can not only save on food costs but also entirely prevent bad smells in the fridge from forgotten food from yesteryear buried deep.
Considering this technology basically eliminates the need for a grocery list as all of the contents of your fridge will be easily accessible by your phone or tablet PC, the wave of the future is clear. Given the advances in technology such as smartphones that tell us where diners, coffee shops and more are simply by scanning our surroundings with our phone’s camera, LG plans on developing a self-sustaining fridge that’s easy to inventory and smart enough to recommend healthy recipes based on what you’ve got hanging around in the fridge.
