Not many of us realize this, but refrigerators are household appliances that play a much more important role than we give them credit for. Imagine if refrigerators would not have been invented; how we would preserve groceries and dairy products. The rectangular shaped, multi compartment refrigerator allows us the comfort of storing our food supplies for weeks on end in pristine condition.Ever since its inception, refrigerators have maintained a traditional shape and operated on the same mechanics. Innovations have largely been restricted to features such as auto-defrost. The University of Central Lancashire and online supermarket Ocado have come up with a concept for a new age refrigerator that marks a step ahead in refrigerator technology.
One of the complaints users have of refrigerators is the need to clean them periodically. The cleaning process is time consuming and it is a task modern technology should take care of. Another complaint is the difficulty in reaching for food placed at the back of a storage shelf. More often than not, when we try to reach for something at the far end of a storage shelf, it usually results in a spill.
The futuristic concept, titled Self-cleaning Fridge, not only takes care of the issues that plague common refrigerators, but also gives the ubiquitous fridge a futuristic makeover. It has two doors with each door having an integrated high definition touch-screen display. Menu suggestions and shopping lists would be displayed on the touch-screen. The displays would also have wireless connectivity to the internet and stream cooking shows and recipes from the web.
The storage shelves of the concept deserve special mention. They may seem flat and ordinary, but they are fitted with nano-tiles. The purpose of these nano-tiles is to move food items that are old or about to expire to the front of the fridge.
The Self-cleaning Fridge is a highly intelligent appliance as well. It has a scanner unit, placed between the two doors, which comprises of ultraviolet readers which analyzes the weight of each plate before and after a meal to track the calorie intake of a user. This would help the user maintain a healthy lifestyle.
The smart fridge has the ability to scan the contents of the fridge and generate shopping lists. The user would no longer have to think what to buy for the house because the fridge would automatically suggest it.
The Self-cleaning Fridge concept is ambitious in scale and it may be some time before we get to see one.
By now you must have fallen in love with this concept. Since we live in a technology dominated world, you must also check out these awesome designs of refrigerator – USB Mini Fridge, Electrolux Flatshare Fridge and Futuristic Biopolymer Fridge.
Via: Ubergizmo
