The Future Of Smart Fridges

Refrigerators have become far smarter and interactive in the past few years, and at this point, they can practically prepare dinner for you! What’s next for this once-humble kitchen appliance? 

Your refrigerator is no longer just a simple appliance that keeps your food cold.  

It can be an integral part of your household that can make your life faster, easier, and smoother.  

So what’s a smart fridge, and why would you want to consider getting one?  

Let’s take a look at some of the “cool” details of smart refrigerators.  

What Is a Smart Refrigerator? 

A smart fridge is an appliance that has all the cooling and freezing properties of a regular fridge, but is also connected to the internet and to other features like ice monitors, cameras, and communication devices. 

It’s a programmed appliance that connects to the Internet of Things (IoT) in your home to provide additional features for you and your family.  

What Features Do Smart Fridges Currently Have? 

If you are exploring getting a modern smart fridge, here are some of the things a smart fridge can do today: 

• Keep track of items in the fridge with cameras and barcode scanners 
• Suggest recipes based on available ingredients, using interactive front touch screens 

• Automatically manage grocery items using online subscription services 
• Compile a digital list of items you need to pick up at the grocery store, and send that list to your computer or smartphone 
• Integrate with existing smart home features like appliances, security systems, heating, cooling, and lighting 
• Let you control your fridge remotely, or from somewhere else in the kitchen, without opening the door, using your smartphone or computer. 

What Does the Future Hold for Smart Fridges? 

Arçelik Global is developing an AI-enabled fridge that will limit temperature fluctuation and optimize energy use, therefore having a significant impact on household energy consumption.  

“But this solution also has benefits beyond energy consumption. Each year, 1.6 billion tons of food, worth approximately $1.2 trillion, goes to waste – about one-third of the food produced globally,” says Özgür Özkan, Senior Design Engineer of Arçelik Global. 

“In the average refrigerator, the temperature oscillates by +/-0.5° Celsius. By limiting this fluctuation to less than +/-0.2°Celsius, our AI-enabled fridge keeps food fresher for around 10 percent longer.” 

According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, if food waste was a country, it would be the third-highest emitter of greenhouse gases after the United States and China.  

“If the citizens of the world could stop wasting food, it would eliminate 8 percent of total global emissions,” says Özkan. 

 Today’s refrigerators have already evolved from just a simple appliance to a critical part of your smart home. And now it looks like the world’s most cutting-edge newest refrigerators might be able to help drive down earth’s emissions.  

To get cutting-edge news on what’s next for these futuristic fridges, join my newsletter or subscribe to my YouTube channel.