Liven up your kitchen with these strange gadgets, from an interactive LED table to the Smart Oven, it’s all here. Which ones are your favorites?
10. Salter Nutrition Scale
How about a scale that analyzes your food by portion size/weight — calculating total calories, protein, carbohydrates, sugars, fat, fiber, sodium, cholestrol, net carbohydrates, GI value — and then displays the information on a crisp LCD screen? Salter’s nutritional scale does just that and more with a database of over 1440 foods and liquids. Plus, it also keeps track of “how much you’ve eaten throughout the day”. It’s available now through Metro Kitchen for $99. [Source]
9. Smart Oven Cooks for You
Samsung has teamed up with Birds Eye frozen foods to develop a smart oven that knows how to cook a meal by just reading “Smart Codes” found on specially marked packaging. Buyers seeking the ultimate in convenience will appreciate this oven, just scan and cook. It’s priced at $525, no word yet on availability.
Research commissioned by the companies has reportedly showed that 17 percent of those surveyed say that a barcode-controlled oven is the kitchen innovation they want the most
[Source]
8. GE’s All-in-One Kitchen Device
Think of GE’s all-in-one kitchen as a large touchscreen display, it features touch sensors that are spread accross the entire surface, OLED primary lighting, and purifies water via ultraviolet light. This eco-friendly device also allows you to load up dishwashing detergent in bulk and dispenses it using algorithms to minimize leftover cleaning agents in wastewater. [Source]
7. LiteOn’s Smart Label
Get the most for your grocery shopping buck with LiteOn’s new Smart Label. When foods such as milk near its expiry date, the Smart Label automatically changes colors from green to red indicating freshness and discounts the item accordingly.
Without the additional labour needed of the seller to re-label the goods with current prices, the Smart Label brings paper wastage to a minimum
[Source]
6. Homepub
It’s a professional tap system, freezer, and fridge all-in-one. The Homepub is an ideal option for anyone who wants draught beer in the “comfort of your own home”. This system works with standard 5 litre kegs that are quickly chilled with the built-in “rapid cooling system”. Though a release date hasn’t yet been set, you can contact the manufacturer here for more information. [Source]
5. The Toasterkettle
Designed by Lewis Green, this invention boils water and toasts your bread simultaneously, which gives you a few extra minutes in the morning to actually enjoy breakfast. [Source]
4. Z.Island Kitchen
The “Z. Island by DuPont™ Corian®” is a sensory-receptive kitchen appliance that consists of two free-standing island units, a wall modular cabinet system, wall cladding system (advanced sound and light diffusion capabilities), and a host of multimedia equipment. At the touch of a button, users will be able to turn on music, browse the internet, or create ambience (lighting) via a control panel. [Source]
3. Tetris Cooking Timer
Available in black or white colors, the Amadana Cooking Timer uses Tetris-style blocks to fill its screen, once full, your time is up. You can buy it now through Amadana for approximately $40.
This is more like an hourglass than Tetris, and when the variously-shaped blocks fill up the display, your time is up
[Source]
2. Interactive LED Dining Table
Put simply, this is the coolest dining table we’ve seen yet. It consists of 448 multicolored LEDs — controlled using a 16-node 1-D analog computer network — that respond to input (motion) generated above the table.
Each node has an amplified photodiode that senses changes in ambient light above its region of the table. An analog integrator (memory) averages that signal along with input from its neighbors, and the resulting signal is used to drive one of two strands of 14 LEDs (depending on polarity) with intensity that depends on the integrated value. Each node consists of one photodiode, one quad op-amp IC, nine resistors, and four capacitors that we hand-soldered onto a tiny piece of plain perfboard. We mounted the nodes to sheets of masonite pegboard, such that the output LEDs fit through the holes
[Source]
1. Keyboard Tablecloth
Tonia Welter has a solution for those who want to keep their keyboard tidy. Introducing the “Keyboard Tablecloth”, a fully functional keybard with its electronics woven directly into the fabric which lay in between layers of water resistant felt.
The marriage of eating and tipping: the decorative tablecloth, made of felt, contains a textile keyboard
[Source]
Honorable Mention – Computer Table Lamp
Here’s a nifty table lamp for your kitchen that also doubles as a functional computer. It looks to feature a top-loading disc drive, touchscreen display, and well integrated ports.
DVD, photos, music, internet, TV, computer: Media Centers are fueling the migration of PCs in our living room. This created a design to rethink the design boundaries of these objects
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Honorable Mention – Programmable Drink Mixer
Put simply, the Lazy Drinker is this summer’s must-have gadget, perfect for your kitchen. It can store up to 16 bottles and lots of ice. Just connect it to your computer and the software will whip up your favorite drink in no time. Two drawbacks, you’ll need your own CO2 supply and it costs $750.
You can either choose from a list of pre-existing drinks or you can risk the well being of friends and family by concocting a drink of your own design
[Source]
