i3 - March/April 2021 - 12

Tech

By Susan Schreiner

C 4 T R E N DS

The Smarter Kitchen

Moley Robotics
dexterous robot
prepares gourmet
meals.

lthough smart kitchen products like smart lighting,
remote timing and control of appliances via Google
Assistant or Amazon Alexa-voice activated features exist
already - staying-at-home during the pandemic increased the
focus on how to make kitchens more functional. What makes an
appliance smart? The key element involves integration - whether
on a system-wide smart home basis - or simply within the boundary of a kitchen. Thanks to technologies such as automation, artificial intelligence and IoT, the smart kitchen is flourishing.

CES 2021 Smart Kitchen Showcase

A panoply of smart kitchen devices was
introduced at CES including:
● ColdSnap from Sigma Phase is a
smart ice cream maker with prepackaged
pods that deliver ice cream, frozen beverages and smoothies in seconds. The individual servings are flash frozen and
dispensed via the appliance. ColdSnap
is still in the prototype phase and also
was a CES 2021 Innovations finalist.
● Moley Robotics' dexterous robot
prepares freshly cooked meals with the
skill of a master chef. The robot reliably
reproduces the movements of human
hands and can retrieve ingredients from
the smart fridge, adjust oven temperatures, plate up and clean up after itself.
● Oliver from Else Labs, a single pot
cooking robot dispenses fresh ingredients to automate the cooking process
with the help of temperature sensing
and machine vision capabilities for
unattended stovetop cooking.

Counter-top Devices

● June Oven is a compact oven that
is seven appliances in one: a convection oven, air fryer, dehydrator, slow
cooker, broiler, toaster and warming
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drawer - controlled via smartphone
since it's Wi-Fi connected.
● Millo Appliances introduced a
smoothie blender based on its patented
Magnetic Air Drive that allows for contactless powerful torque, to enable new
cordless kitchen appliances controlled
via smartphone.

Appliances

● LG InstaView side-by-side supports
the 'open the refrigerator' door command when your arms are full. The
InstaView window replaces part of the
fridge door with glass; double-tap on it
and the light inside turns on to reveal
what's inside. The LG Craft Ice produces
two-inch ice balls popular on Instagram
and the LG UVnano light in the water
dispenser operates every hour to kill up
to 99.99% of bacteria.
● LG InstaView Range uses the knockto-view technology of LG's refrigerator
line and includes an Air Sous Vide mode
that can cook food in a vacuum-sealed
bag at low temperatures for up to 48
hours. It works with LG's ThinQ app
for voice-assistant integration and
remote monitoring.
● Samsung's smarter Family Hub
fridge can control multiple rooms of
connected devices. Family Hub 6.0
updates the 21.5-inch touchscreen with
a new user interface, and adds Amazon
Alexa and Google Nest support.
● Samsung SmartThings Cooking
links the refrigerator with the connected

range and on-demand grocery services.
It can create personalized meal plans
and suggest recipes. It integrates with
Amazon Fresh, Instacart, Kroger,
Safeway and Walmart.
● Samsung's Bot Handy concept product with its precision robot motions can
load a dishwasher and pour a glass of
wine by analyzing the weight, size and
material of common household items to
pick them up without damaging them.

Water Solutions

● Kohler Konnect is a voice-activated
technology for kitchen tasks like filling
pots. The smartphone app informs
about your product's water and energy
usage to optimize efficiency. Kohler also
integrates leak detection into its products through its partnership with Phyn.
● Moen added a smart kitchen faucet
and sump pump monitor to its line-up.
It also announced a " security plan " for
customers using its Flo leak detection
system to monitor for leaks.
GO ONLINE: Innovation in the smart
kitchen is just beginning to blossom.
Reach susan@c4trends.com

Courtesy of Moley Robotics

CTA projects that smart home appliance
revenue will reach $7 billion in 2021,
and $8.4 billion by 2024. And nearly 9.1
million smart appliances will ship in the
U.S. this year, expected to jump to 11.4
million by 2024, CTA says.

I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

3/11/21 12:29 PM

http://CES.tech

i3 - March/April 2021

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