Samsung and LG are going head-to-head with their new smart fridges that scan the inside of the fridge and offer meal suggestions at CES 2020 this week.
The smart fridges use updated AI technology that not only recognises food inside and sends smartphone updates, but also makes meal suggestions based on the available ingredients.
The updates mean Samsung and LG smart fridge users will get a little help with planning what to cook for the week.
The technology is another step towards the fully-automated kitchen of the future, where users don’t even have to think about mealtimes because the machines do it all for you.
Samsung’s Family Hub features new AI capabilities that suggest recipes and works out meal plans
Samsung’s next-generation refrigerator in its Family Hub range uses AI-enhanced cameras to scan the contents of the fridge and suggests recipes based on what you have in stock.
Previous iterations of the Family Hub range allowed users to remotely view the inside of their fridge on their smartphone thanks to inbuilt cameras.
The new updates for 2020 now makes Family Hub even more useful by suggesting recipes and helping users formulate a weekly meal plan while keeping in mind dietary preferences.
AI image recognition technology scans and identifies products inside the fridge and sends updates on items that have been added or are in low supply.
The Quick Plan feature offers a week’s worth of recommended recipes with just one click.
If you’re short of ingredients to cook, the AI sends users a shopping list of the ingredients they’ll need to stock up on.
‘Since we launched Family Hub five years ago, we have continued to introduce intelligent innovations that reflect the ways that busy, modern families are living,’ said Nick Bevan, Head of Product Management for Domestic Appliances, Samsung Electronics UK.
‘The latest Family Hub helps families stay connected like never before with personalised features for meal planning, managing your smart home and mirroring content from your TV or mobile device.’
The food-suggestion updates are thanks to Samsung’s acquisition of Whisk, an AI food startup from the UK that collates ingredients and recipe data.
Samsung has also updated the Family Board, a communal bulletin board for family members to interact with, to support video clips.
The update lets family members transfer videos from their smartphone to the refrigerator, letting family members ‘relive important memories’ while they cook.
Samsung has also updated its SmartView feature to support vertical smartphone videos and social media content.
SmartView lets smartphones act as a remote control for Samsung TVs and mirrors content on the two devices.
Samsung says the new Family Hub features will be available as software updates this spring.
InstaView with Craft Ice is the first refrigerator in the world with a built-in ice maker that produces spherical ice which melts much more slowly, LG says
LG, meanwhile, has two new fridges on display at CES in Las Vegas this week – both with a transparent glass panel that acts as digital display.
The company is updating its ‘InstaView ThinQ’ range of fridges with a feature much like Samsung’s, offering meal suggestions based on available ingredients.
It also alerts homeowners when they’re running low on items and suggests options for reordering them, such as available retailers.
Its AI system tracks every item inside the fridge, including in the crisper drawers and the extra ‘door in door’ shelf inside the fridge’s front door.
The company’s other offering, ‘InstaView with Craft Ice’ fridge, has a built-in ice maker that produces spherical ice – a favourite of today’s hipster bartenders.
According to LG, the ice balls are two inches in diameter and melt slower in a drink than ice cubes, due to a lower surface area.
The LG smart fridge panel is a 22-inch display for browsing the internet and watching cooking videos via Wi-Fi without a separate smartphone or tablet
InstaView with Craft Ice has already been rolled out in the US and will now be made available in additional markets in 2020.
Both of the LG fridges feature a glass front panel, which not only lets users look inside the fridge without opening the door, but also doubles as a 22-inch display to browse the internet and play cooking videos without an accompanying smartphone.
‘Our goal at CES 2020 is to show what’s possible in tomorrow’s kitchens with LG InstaView refrigerators and AI,’ said Dan Song, president of the LG Electronics Home Appliance & Air Solution Company.
‘With technology quickly transforming boring white boxes into exciting machines that can create craft ice, plan dinner and create shopping lists, our advanced refrigerators with ThinQ are designed for customers who appreciate any help they can get in the kitchen.’
The fridges are equipped with LG’s ThinQ smart home brand, which also monitors their temperature and sends alerts if it detects an unusual increase in temperature, if the water filter needs replacing or if the fridge door is left open.
Both Samsung and LG’s new refrigerators are being exhibited at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, which kicks off on Tuesday.
