The world is getting smart.
Technology is rapidly taking hold of the home, and nowhere is that more apparent than n the kitchen.
The smart kettle and coffee maker can be controlled from bed, ensuring your hot beverage is ready when you are.
Software has been developed that reads a recipe and adjusts it to the weight and temperature of whatever food is being cooked.
It downloads the perfect recipe for that piece of food and sends the information directly to the oven. With the characteristics of a gourmet chef, the temperature might start at a broil then get lowered, then raised multiple times, reducing the cooking time. A connected oven would make all the adjustments automatically.
Technology digitizes food preparation using cameras and sensors to recognize packaging and raw food. It will allow anyone on a low-sodium diet to easily track consumption.
If that doesn’t confound you, how about a refrigerator that will remind you to use the broccoli before it goes bad, or a camera inside the appliance that allows you to see if you have enough milk while you’re at the grocery store.
Apps that can suggest recipes based on the food you already have available.
Products in the refrigerator are recognized and that information is sent to a smart oven that regulates the temperature and timing for the food, or to third-party recipe programs that generate recipes based on the available ingredients.
Mind-blowing advanced technology goes way beyond the kitchen. There will be no more fumbling in the dark to find the light switch.
Controls will turn any old lamp into a voice-activated one. A mobile app can already schedule when lights go on and off, and some can be voice controlled.
Thousands of people are already controlling the home temperature with a Wi-Fi-enabled smart thermostat. A smartphone, tablet or computer can be used to program the control from anywhere.
An unexpected cold spell and you won’t be back home for another two days? No problem! Adjust the temperature with an app on your phone.
All television and stereo systems should work this way.
Voice controls eliminate the ubiquitous remote controls, shutting off and turning on, changing channels, accessing apps, and navigating the web on your smart TV, using your voice.
A voice-activated earbud will allow you to keep your phone in your bag or pocket and operate it with your voice. Who cares if the person next to you thinks you’re crazy? You are connected!
Tech-savvy teens can use this modern twist to keep secrets better than any other diaries. Activated by the owner’s voice, the verbal password is the only way to open the diary.
A Bluetooth speaker, designed to be clipped onto a car’s visor, has echo elimination, making calls clearer on both ends. A speakerphone provides streamed music and podcasts through its “A2DP”-enabled phones, and being voice-activated, it promotes safer driving.
Smartphones, smartwatches, smartTVs, and now smarthelmets!
Conceived to make motorcycle riding safer, the helmet is equipped with a display system featuring GPS navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, a full 180-degree rear view camera, all voice-controlled.
Everyone should own a robotic vacuum cleaner, but how about one that is activated and controlled by voice? Yes, I want one too.
It operates quietly and follows input virtual walls to rid hard surfaces and carpets of dirt, dust and pet hair.
In higher traffic areas, the magical vacuum can be programmed to clean more aggressively in high-traffic areas.
What’s next?
Apparently, there is a working prototype for a machine that attaches to the dryer, removes clothing from the tumbler, then folds them into a neat pile.
And this should have been developed years ago: A dryer that shuts off when it senses the laundry is dry, rather than shutting off after a set amount of time.
Would you prefer a toaster that warms the butter to a perfect spreading consistency, as it toasts the bread? Or a refrigerator that scans its interior to create a list of what you need to buy. It will also be programmed to order any thing that is in short supply.
Smart technology is becoming a part of every aspect of food.
A miniature greenhouse is in development that will grow fresh vegetables and herbs that can be harvested as necessary for each meal. Just enough oregano for your spaghetti sauce; just enough Romaine lettuce for your Caesar salad.
For anyone who believes thinking is over-rated, a built-in countertop scale will soon be available that not only weighs the food, but it also identifies it, suggests a recipe based on the food’s size, cut, colour and taste, and based on ingredients you already have on hand.
Similarly, a countertop oven will automatically add spices, adjusts its internal temperature and alters its cooking format, depending on the recipe it is following. Oh yes, it will also prepare a sauce or gravy.
The latest thing for wine aficionados is a wine fridge that dispenses your favourite vintage, then pumps argon back into the bottle between uses to preserve the wine.
And finally, the ultimate kitchen accessory: A robotic chef that cooks an entire meal in a space the size of a coffee maker.
All you do is load the “chef” with fresh, packaged ingredients. It is then synced to a smart device where one button enables the cooking.
The chef will add each ingredient at precisely the right time, and when the dish is finished, a message is sent to your smart device announcing a call to dinner.
I will get really excited when a robotic wait staff plates the food, brings it to the table, and afterwards collects the plates washes them, and puts everything away.
And we can hide all that technology below stairs!