Recently, after chatting with my family about smart refrigerators, I came across an article by Wiwi and Shuo-Jen Huang about smart home appliances. It got me thinking about what a truly user-friendly smart fridge might look like.
Here’s my version of a utopian smart fridge, imagined from the perspective of a housewife.
When you put food in or take something out and close the door, the fridge automatically scans everything. It updates its inventory right away, keeping perfect records of purchase dates and expiration dates. There’s no need to spend time keying things in by hand. Best of all, it can accurately recognize every kind of vegetable, sauce bottle, or leftover, without making silly mistakes that you have to fix later.
On the smart display, it shows adorable reminders like:
Your spinach is about to expire! ((((；ﾟДﾟ))))
I know carrots usually last long, but this one’s about to go bad! Σ（ﾟдﾟlll）
Drink another Coke and you’ll gain weight! ＼＼\٩(๑`^´๑)۶//／／(Who asked you?)
When it’s got nothing better to do, it gets a little playful.
That chicken leg looks so good… :(´ཀ`」 ∠)
Today’s going to be a great day! (*´∇｀*)
The smart panel also suggests recipes based on what’s already inside your fridge, so you never have to wonder what to cook for dinner.
If you want to plan out your weekly meal prep, you can open a blank page on the display and write directly on it by hand.
All recipes are stored right inside the fridge’s system, so there’s no need to download any apps or sign up for accounts.
It doesn’t need to connect to the Internet, it doesn’t show ads, and it definitely doesn’t sell your data.
Honestly, we don’t need a fridge that tells us the weather or displays family photos. Our phones are already great at that.
Wouldn’t you want a fridge like that? I know I would! Hopefully, some refrigerator company will buy my idea someday, haha!
NB: This article was first published in Chinese. It was later translated with assistance from ChatGPT, edited by me, and published in English.