Headquartered in Munich, Germany, the international award-winning innovation company brezzl is continually developing smart, stylish, and sustainable products, and recently established an Indiegogo campaign to fund the creation of “Fridge Eye” which makes the contents of refrigerators visible in real time via a smartphone app shoppers can carry with them while food shopping.
Going beyond the obvious camera, brezzl’s designers are planning to employ Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the system which they refer to as a “food manager” which addresses a multi-billion-dollar global challenge, as the average family throws out more than $2,200 annually. The United States Department of Agriculture recently found that the average American consumer wastes 225-290 pounds of food per year, enough to feed 2 billion extra people annually.
Brezzl’s Fridge Eye is a durable, rechargeable (via USB-C) camera that can be easily attached to the inside of every refrigerator or cupboard. It takes a photo of the interior of the fridge or cupboard each time the door is closed. Using Wi-Fi, the picture is sent to customers' smartphones.
Along with this, brezzl is also employing image recognition, which suggests recipes and will automate the ordering of groceries in the future. The apps for iOS, iPad, and Android are already available for downloads including features such as a simple shopping list and sharing function.
Compared to other smart home products, Fridge Eye was designed to last as long as the fridge does. The batteries, which is a weak point of every battery-powered device, are replaceable. The charging can be done via USB-C port, and the camera will have a temperature sensor integrated to monitor the health of the fridge, including confirming that the correct temperature was set.
As of press time, more than half of the $25,000 Indiegogo goal has been raised, with another week to go.
The smart kitchen appliance market continues to grow, with the evolution of expensive smart refrigerators which feature touchscreen interfaces and the ability to connect to the internet through Wi-Fi to provide additional features.
These high-end smart refrigerators include internal cameras, more flexible user-controlled cooling options, and the ability for consumers to interact with its features using your smartphone or tablet when away from home.
Fridge Eye addresses a broader market with an affordable solution that can be added to any refrigerator at a fraction of the cost – smarter food shopping and management for the masses.
Juhi Fadia is an engineer, analyst, researcher and writer covering advanced and emerging technologies.Edited by
Ken Briodagh
