#PretendProduct: Dream Smarthome Utilities and Apps Part 1: Kitchen Edition

What are some cool connections that could be made between our devices and our everyday experiences in our home?

A pot with a detector inside the inner lining of the pot that connects with the stove to lower the temperature based on the recipe specifications.

I just boiled some rice that is supposed to simmer in reduced heat once brought to a boil. I set a timer for 15 minutes then checked to see if it was boiling yet as I watched some TV. It wasn’t. I continued watching TV then remembered to check if the pot was boiling again. It wasn’t. I left it for some time then panicked when fire trucks were blaring down the street. I shot up for the kitchen to calm my fear that the sirens were coming for me. It was boiling this time. Although, fortunately, I was not the reason the fire trucks were on my street. This is an inefficient, reckless, and emotionally and physically draining process. Imagine if I could say “there’s an app for that.”

A door lock that automatically unlocks your door when your smartwatch is near and locks when you leave the detection field.

It doesn’t open automatically since you’re not always passing through the door every time you go near it. Maybe you’re grabbing something from the mailbox on the way back to the car or you’re just leaving something by the door for later. However, having the unlocked door already ready for you when you do decide to press a button on the door or on your smartwatch is a good first step. A lot of anxiety can come from not knowing if your door was locked last time. This would help that issue. Also, if someone else locks or unlocks your door, the system will automatically lock it again since isNearby() == false.

An app that refills your grocery list for you when you finish an item you bought previously.

Crap. You just went to the grocery store. Nonetheless, here you are two days later having run out of something that you need because you forgot to add it to your list since it wasn't finished yet. I was inspired by having made a grocery trip recently but running out of dark chocolate chips to snack on in the middle of the night.

The app would collect consumer data on how close together purchases of the same item are made to deliver suggestions of when to refill/add an item to your list based on how quickly others have needed it refilled. To do one better, it would provide suggestions based on consumers who have similar demographics (more frequent suggestions for families compared to single young professionals) and buying habits. Furthermore, it would also utilize machine learning and data analysis to recommend new recipes and their items to add to your cart. Think of it as a “For You” page for your fridge.

I hope you enjoyed peeking into what I envision for my home of the future based on my pain points of the present.

Thank you for reading!