Internet fridges

19 February, 2006

I was reading the other day about how futurologists get it wrong and how we’re never going to see an Internet Fridge. Well goddamn if I don’t want some variation on that.

How much would I give for the ability to scan the barcodes of stuff I put in my cupboards and fridge, then scan it again when I remove it, and so be able to call up the list of what’s currently in my kitchen when I’m at the supermarket, or have it automatically remind me when I’m out of something, or running out, or, from a pre-defined list, auto-create most of my shopping list. I mean, how hard can that be? The hardest bit (by a country mile) is getting the barcode scanner to understand what item you’re swiping in front of it, the rest is “just” programming (and let’s face it, if I can do it, it can’t be hard).

See other posts tagged with general and all posts made in February 2006.

Comments

leff

20 February, 2006 at 09:43

This is where rfid would actually be handy. The cabinet could scan the items as they come and go. You shouldn’t need to go out of your way to run items past a scanner. ‘course you’d have to hook your kitchen computer up to the market computer or change the current spec on rfids (to id classes instead of instances).

Anonymous

21 February, 2006 at 12:53

…and what about all the fruit and vegetables?

Pip

21 February, 2006 at 20:48

I always eat whatever fruit and veg I have, so no problems there. Unless I decide to print off lots of little barcode stickers for all my peas?

hey leff, you apparently know a lot more about RFID than I do. Although, in our kitchen, we collect the empty jars for recycling very close to the cupboard so that might be a problem.

Nolan Eakins

23 February, 2006 at 23:31

Why stop at printing a list of things to grab at the store? Why not have the fridge go ahead and place an order? Then you can show up at the grocery and everything will be ready or better yet have it delivered to your door?

Pip

24 February, 2006 at 12:07

Because I don’t trust the supermarket to get my order right, mainly 🙂

Yvonne

03 March, 2006 at 11:42

Hey you could have internet cupboards as well…

In order to have an internet fridge it means you need a PDA or similar to communicate with it at the supermarket.

Maybe you could just install a roving webcam in your fridge, that way you could look at what’s in the fridge while you’re at the supermarket – thus saving tedious employment of barcode scanners and intrusive RFID technology.