Smart Kitchen

Smart Kitchen

Problem Definition

People like Bob need to eat like all other people and preferably be independent and eat whenever they wish.

Solution

As a solution, a smart kitchen will be implemented. This will feature automated appliances with augmented sensors, which will help people like Bob cook food, eat and wash dishes more independently.

How will the System Work

All automation and smart appliances will be connected to the main computer. These will feed in all the relevant signals and data to the various software applications on the main computer. Each device involved would be configurable from this computer/system.

To make life easier for Bob, lights will automatically switch on whenever he walks into the kitchen. This will also apply to the appliances, such as dishwasher, microwave oven, etc. Apart from saving on electricity bills, this will be useful to Bob as it won’t require him to use his only weak hand to turn on the appliances. The kitchen will basically make use of a heat sensor attached to the ceiling and will be used to switch on the lighting and appliances whenever it detects Bob’s presence. It will also feature a time-out feature, where the lights and appliances will automatically switch off after a predefined number of minutes (such as 10mins).

The Smart Fridge

Starting from the fridge, this will have an RFID reader or a barcode scanner on the front or a camera which uses technology similar to Google’s Goggles Technology. This enables the user to scan an object before putting it in the fridge. This way, the fridge can keep an inventory of all items in the fridge. When an item, (such as milk) gets low, it will notify Bob by sending him an email to his PC. The next time he enters the kitchen, the heat sensor will detect his presence and notify him using a voice synthesiser. He can then either order the shopping list online or go out physically and buy the items. Moreover, the fridge will be connected to the home network via Wi-Fi and accessible from a web interface which will allow the user to view its current inventory from a PC.

Automatic Coffee

Like most people, Bob likes coffee. Whenever Bob arrives home from an errand, the coffee machine will automatically switch on and makes a cup of coffee. This will be achieved by using the RFID Transceiver underneath the Welcome Mat which will send a signal to the main computer to switch on the coffee machine. Moreover, the same concept will be used when Bob is at home and wishes a cup of coffee. Instead he will be able to voice out commands to the voice recognition system implemented in the house to the coffee machine.

The Automatic Microwave Oven

To save Bob from fiddling with complicated microwave ovens, he can use an automated one which can automatically figure out the weight of the meal and cook it automatically, saving him from splitting the cooking process (such as defrosting, turning food, etc). The voice recognition system implemented in the house will also be used in conjunction with the automatic microwave oven. Since Bob needs to choose the type of food when cooking something in the microwave oven, he can use the voice recognition system to input the food type and start the cooking process. This way, he only needs to take the meal out from the fridge/freezer, unwrap it and put it in the microwave oven. (An unwrapper device can be used to help him unwrap items, considering he only has 1 usable arm.) An example of such a microwave oven is the following: http://www.sharpusa.com/ForHome/HomeAppliances/MicrowaveOvens/R820BK.aspx.

When the meal is ready, Bob can use the robotic arm to get the hot meal out of the microwave oven and place it on a plate. Similarly, to eat Bob can either use his weak hand or the robotic arm.

Furthermore, to save Bob from washing dishes, he will make use of a dishwasher and he will have the option of activating the washing programme by using the voice recognition system.

Safety

For people like Bob, safety is of upmost importance. Smoke detectors will be implemented in the kitchen together with automatic water sprinklers which will turn off any fire hazard immediately. Moreover, when the fire alarm goes off, the system will automatically call the fire department to aid Bob to safety (in case of smoke inhalation, becoming trapped, etc).

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/worlds-first-intelligent-refrigerator