14 DAY TRIAL // The days when you had to open the door of the fridge to see what’s inside are long gone, there’s no doubt about it.
Because the latest models prepared by the likes of Samsung and LG push the concept of a smart fridge way beyond imagination, being able to do pretty much everything from showing you cat pics to checking out the ingredients inside and then suggest what to cook.
The upcoming CES 2020 show in Las Vegas will witness the introduction of such models, with sales likely to start later this year at prices that also go way beyond imagination. For example, Samsung’s new Family Hub will cost some $6,000 when equipped with all the bells and whistles the South Korean can currently offer in terms of refrigerators.
But the star of the show is without a doubt the AI-powered system.
Hello, AI!
Essentially, Samsung is using cameras equipped with artificial intelligence to scan the food inside the fridge and make suggestions for meals. Furthermore, the fridge can make a list of the ingredients and then send it to your phone so that you know what to buy when you’re out shopping.
Cameras in fridges aren’t necessarily new, as Samsung has previously allowed customers to see what’s inside using their smartphones, but this is the first time AI tech would be used. So it’ll definitely be interesting to see how a $6,000 device will recognize stuff that’s stored in cans or other boxes, such as my mom’s old fashioned yet stunningly delicious pumpkin pie.
The meal planning system comes from a company called Whisk, which Samsung purchased in 2019, so this early integration plays a key role, especially as the South Korean tech giant most likely would then expand it to additional devices.
“Whisk can help you plan an entire meal—or even a week’s worth of meals—by adjusting recipes based on the number of guests you expect and building a smart shopping list that consolidates ingredients from several recipes,” Samsung says.
LG will join the fun as well with two InstaView models, and this time the company will bet big on a system called Craft Ice that makes two-inch ice balls and 22-inch screens that can go fully transparent to show what’s inside, so that you can decide what to eat without opening the door.
Certainly, there’s more to discover about these fridges, but it’s pretty clear that AI and image recognition are becoming the new norms even in this industry. A closer look at everything will be given at CES in just a few days.