#TechTuesday- The future of kitchen and home appliances

Good morning and welcome to the blog

Today, in honor of Tech Tuesday, we will be exploring the future of kitchen and home appliances. We will take a look at the weird and wonderful ideas of the top appliance brands as well as their innovative new products and prototypes.

First off a personal favorite of mine. We were all blown away (quite literally) when we first experienced the Dyson Airblade hand dryers in a public toilet. Prior to the Dyson Airblade, drying your hands after a trip to the toilet was like being sneezed on by a mouse and often resulted in finishing the job by wiping your hands on you jeans or jacket. Well now Dyson have released the Airblade Tap which features an automatic water outlet as well as an automatic hand dryer. 

 

The Dyson Airblade Tap is currently being adopted in places such as bars, hotels and stadiums but due to its high price tag (around £1000-£1600) it is yet to be a regular feature in the everyday household.

Next a look at some ideas by Electrolux. I will begin by taking a look at the Ribbon Heater and Cooler. The Ribbon is a multi-purpose heater and cooler for portable use. Essentially it is a flexible ribbon which is used to wrap around a food or drink container for chilling or heating.

The black side provides heat and the white cools. It can be curled up and is easily portable. Controls placed on the side facilitate easy use. The chargeable thermoelectric cell battery can also reverse the charging process– whilst not in use the cells convert excess heat back into electricity. Sounds like the perfect device to take to the match to keep you pie hot and your pint cold.  

Another idea from Electrolux is the Onda Portable Microwave. It will work by sliding the device onto the end of specialy designed packages containing pre-prepared meals. The aluminum contained within the interior of the handheld device creates a circuit connection when the seal of the packaging is broken. Paper batteries are used to produce energy, making the Onda both smart and eco-friendly.

Now for a look at Electrlux's Smart Phone Operated Mobile Cooker. The heat plate can be paired and controlled by a smart phone and can be placed anywhere you wish. The smart-phone app is designed to be  used with NFC tags within the food packaging which provides cooking instructions. 

General Electrics have envisioned what the home of 2025 may look like providing an insight into what they think are real possibilities for the future of home appliances. One of the most exciting concepts, in my opinion, is the idea of a social cooking experience. "Imagine virtual experts who can help you learn to cook from the convenience of your own home or prepare great meals with friends around the country virtually. In GE's home of the future, improvements to voice recognition, motion plus facial recognition and deep-thinking technology will create "human" simulations of experts in fields like cooking. Sensors in kitchen appliances, as well as virtual cooking tutors will give instructions tailored to your skill level and interests, so meals come out perfect every time. Friends and family can even share a celebrity chef experience with a replica of a famous maestro giving instructions to make it more of a party than lesson."

Another exciting concept is the idea of a virtual closet. The idea that your washing machine can display a virtual closet from which you can choose what to wear. It could even make suggestions based on weather or what will match. You could potentially plan your whole weeks wardrobe. So no more excuses for the wife or girlfriend taking a millennia to get ready for fancy night out.  

Other futuristic ideas that GE envisage include in-sink dishwashers; induction cooking modules with interchangeable and integrated induction accessories allowing for unlimited and exciting culinary exploration, as well as more cabinet space when stored in the integrated storage drawer below; and the Smart Faucet with Hydration Sensor which dispenses filtered water, ice and carbonated water, vitamins and various beverages. Just by placing your finger on the faucet and the built-in hydration sensor lets you instantly see your hydration level.

Smart appliances seem to be a big part of the future of appliances. This involves being able to connect to your fridge or washing machine through your smart phone via Wi-Fi and controlling the appliance from anywhere in the world. You could tell you machine to run a dark wash from your office by simply touching the screen of you smart phone. You could also sync the contents of your fridge with your smart phone so you know what to buy when you go out shopping or know if your flat mate has been stealing your chicken nuggets again.

 

The possibilities are endless, and we will be with you all the way ensuring that if anything does go wrong with your appliances fresh out of The Jetsons we will have the spare part to fix it.

Thanks for reading, please feel free to leave a comment and join in the discussion.