Should Microwaves become part of the Digital Hub?

[Sol]

Sooner or later the USB, FireWire Bluetooth and Airport technologies will find their way into the kitchen. Right now there is no incentive to do this because we are all used to operating microwaves, toasters, ovens, water boilers and fridges the way that we have grown up using them. In the future these devices could change for the better.

Let us start with the toaster: you place your bread-slice, select a time and pull the lever to toast it. Great, only it becomes a hit & miss experience when you try to toast a different type of bread. A computer could configure the toaster for the optimal toasting of whatever you put in there: so long as it had a bar code on the packaging.

The microwave is very much hit & miss with the variety of foods that go into it. Again, the computer could configure the microwave to cook the food in the ideal settings. It could also monitor the microwave and notify you when those micro-waves start leaking out (I admit, I have had this fear all my life). The computer could also power the microwave through a FireWire connection. Surelly this would lead to better power management.

This leads me to the fridge. The fridge is the giant of the kitchen. It could include an all-in-one computer (liquid-cooled, of course) with all the wireless networking and ports like USB and FireWire. The ports could power and communicate with the smaller devices like the oven, microwave, toaster etc. Devices like electric egg beaters could be recharged on docking stations connected by FW or USB. The screen would be usefull for viewing recipes, to-do lists and telecommunications.

There is a world (or kitchen) of possibilities for ways to improve the experience of cooking. These are only a few ideas from the top of my head but I am certain that more innovative uses of these technologies will soon find their way into our kitchens.

 

[iLikeMyiMac]

Why would I need I microwave to become part of my digital hub? Mine works fine now as it is. Put the food in and 1 minute later its cooked.

 

[homerjward]

my microwave interferes badly with my dad's wifi reception on his desktop. he moved his study away from the kitchen because of it. so maybe it shouldnt coexist with the digital hub that includes wireless. but there is my idea for a minifridge that has the entire front covered with a 23"ish lcd tv so you don't have to get up to get an icey cold drink. but that sure wouldnt work with a microwave...

 

[Sol]

Content browsing to save energy

my microwave interferes badly with my dad's wifi reception on his desktop. he moved his study away from the kitchen because of it. so maybe it shouldnt coexist with the digital hub that includes wireless. but there is my idea for a minifridge that has the entire front covered with a 23"ish lcd tv so you don't have to get up to get an icey cold drink. but that sure wouldnt work with a microwave...

We are now at the 2nd generation of wireless networking for the home. I am sure inteference will become a thing of the past as the technology improves.

As for the mini-fridge, it could save a lot of energy if the user can see the contents before opening the door. I admit to being one of those people who opens the fridge door and then thinks about what to eat; sometimes I do not even want something cold. Of course the LCD screen would waste as much energy but OLED screens are supposed to improve on that.

 

[homerjward]

As for the mini-fridge, it could save a lot of energy if the user can see the contents before opening the door. I admit to being one of those people who opens the fridge door and then thinks about what to eat; sometimes I do not even want something cold. Of course the LCD screen would waste as much energy but OLED screens are supposed to improve on that.

well, im not sure i would actually use the lcd screen to view the fridge's contents. but if the fridge's contents were on like comedy central or nbc...

oh, btw, that bit about optimal toasting is going in my sig

 

[homerjward]

This leads me to the fridge. The fridge is the giant of the kitchen. It could include an all-in-one computer (liquid-cooled, of course) with all the wireless networking and ports like USB and FireWire. The ports could power and communicate with the smaller devices like the oven, microwave, toaster etc. Devices like electric egg beaters could be recharged on docking stations connected by FW or USB. The screen would be usefull for viewing recipes, to-do lists and telecommunications.

hey, the fridge is already phase-change cooled. can you say easy overclocking?

 

[kanker]

I saw an oven the other day that doubles as a refrigerator. Just put your meal in there, for up to 24 hours I think, and it will refrigerate it until the time that you set for it to start cooking the food. God I love progress.

 

[superbovine]

We are now at the 2nd generation of wireless networking for the home. I am sure inteference will become a thing of the past as the technology improves.

As for the mini-fridge, it could save a lot of energy if the user can see the contents before opening the door. I admit to being one of those people who opens the fridge door and then thinks about what to eat; sometimes I do not even want something cold. Of course the LCD screen would waste as much energy but OLED screens are supposed to improve on that.

huh? Technology doesn't need to "improve" it needs to goto a higher frequency which will take awhile considering 2.4 ghz is industry standard now, or more specificly 2412 MHZ (channel 1) to 2462 MHZ (channel 11). Microwaves are on 2450 MHZ. FYI channel 7 is 2447 MHZ and channel 8 is 2452 MHZ.

 

[Abstract]

As for the mini-fridge, it could save a lot of energy if the user can see the contents before opening the door. I admit to being one of those people who opens the fridge door and then thinks about what to eat; sometimes I do not even want something cold. Of course the LCD screen would waste as much energy but OLED screens are supposed to improve on that.

Or they could just make the doors out of a special insulating glass-like material.

Hell, just make a 2 sheet glass vacuum and it won't leak heat out. Plus, it would allow you to look into it.

 

[12ibookg4]

i think an internet-enabled thermostat would be neat. let's say you're at work and you can go to your thermostat's webpage and turn on the a/c so your house is nice and cool when you get home.
link
it was on slashdot today

 

[Applespider]

There are already internet fridges that keep track of what's inside them

http://www.lge.co.uk/mod_perl/go.pl...ebyside.htm?product_uid=2454&category_uid=622

It's also got a TV, mp3 player, camera and email

 

[rainman::|:|]

Yeah, computer-controlled thermostats have been around for quite a while, they're being discussed in the X-10 automation thread right now.

And as was said, these refrigerators exist, they already sell models with full communication capabilities, as well as cameras inside so you don't have to open the door and waste energy. And IBM and a few others are pushing models to the market that keep track of the food inside, generating recipes based on your ingredients, even interfacing with grocery delivery services. They're also creating stoves, microwaves, and other kitchen appliances that self-diagnose problems and call for service by themselves. RFID technology will really set this field off, pretty soon all major retailers will sell products that identify themselves by radio frequency, so your entire kitchen will be responsive to the food you have/are preparing. But, a firewire powered microwave? No need. Plus I don't think firewire can support that kind of electrical need.

So, in short, much if what you're hoping for is already (or will soon be) a reality...

paul