#Industry News
11 Ways to Futurize the Kitchen
Next time you step into your kitchen, look sharp: It may soon be unrecognizable.
There is no place in the house that both technology and science are intersecting in such a revolutionary way—and that means robotic personal assistants, specialty tea brewed with precision temperature control, 3-D-printed healthy snacks, chillers that flash-freeze, drawers that seal sous-vide bags, sparkling water that flows directly out of the tap and high-tech counter tops with the glamour of marble without the penetrating stains.
We saw this and more at IMM Cologne’s 2017 edition of LivingKitchen. From January 16-19, the interior furniture fair presented three exhibition halls showcasing the latest kitchen products from more than 200 international exhibitors.
1. Robotic Personal Kitchen Assistant
How long before that layer cake is done? What’s in the fridge? Mykie (short for my kitchen elf), a well-mannered robot prototype from Bosch, is here to help. Communicating through facial expressions and movement as well as speech, Mykie can understand voice commands and project recipes on a wall. While designed for the kitchen, Mykie can chip in on a variety of daily tasks and would work with the rest of Bosch’s home-connected appliances. A release date has not yet been announced.
Watch this video on the robotic kitchen.
2. The Perfect Cup of Tea
Tea connoisseurs know tea is more than just a bag tossed in boiling water: A change of just three degrees in temperature and/or five seconds in brewing time can make all the difference. With help from Xbox designers, Teforia aims to put generations of tea knowledge into one machine that can customize not just preparation but caffeine levels, antioxidant levels and flavor and aroma notes from an easy-to-use smart-connected machine. Learn more here.
3. Edible 3-D-Printed Growth
Much discussion swirls over how to use 3-D technology for food—with some frighteningly unappetizing results. Chloé Rutzerveld has a better answer. With her prototype project Edible Growth, the designer uses seeds, spores and yeast to create a food ecosystem, which can be 3-D-printed when consumers decide it’s time to harvest.
