NASA's automated oven/refrigerator
A company called TMIO has a product called Connect Io™ Intelligent Oven™ Model PS302SS00 Professional Series, Refrigerated, Internet Controlled, 30" Electric Double Wall Oven which pretty well describes what it is. I originally saw it in this NASA blurb (hmph, they seem upset that I don't have Javascript on). It is a dual oven system so you can have 2 different foods in 2 different Io's. The marketing blurbs like to show someone at the beach using their cell phone to control the oven. You can also control it via the Internet. Skipping the security issues (assume you've taken care of that with VPN access to your home). While this sounds great it seems a little weird to me. I doubt this product will be purchased by someone who is usually relaxing at the beach but more likely an executive who has very little time to do anything. It's expensive at about $8500(US). Yes I know it's a professional oven but it's definitely not a device I'll be purchasing. Besides my meals tend to be meats, and vegetables or other dishes which require some assembly (batteries not included). Usually cooking the different parts at the same time and then putting it all together. So this intelligent oven doesn't make a whole lot of sense in those instances. Do others have folks have one dish meals that can be refrigerated and tossed in the Io before work? When it comes to leftovers I usually prefer the Microwave. My wife and I have microwave reheating (and most cooking) down to a science. We steam just about everything when we reheat. Our oven doesn't get much use except for baking which isn't done during the busy week. Still it is cool that someone has tackled this product and I did expect that it would be expensive, at least at first. Of course this is a professional oven which usually costs more. My father loved a good oven and a large professional oven would have made his day. I guess meals prepared before hand are still cooked fresh with this method. Hmm, maybe it's not such a back idea. Wish I could afford one, maybe I could cut back by eating lots of spaghetti and peanut butter. ;-)
posted by Neil Cherry @ 1:32 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
It would be nice to be able to decide at 3pm that you want to preheat your oven, but I don't think that a device like this will take off until a standard system (or several standards) are implemented for "smart devices." X10 adapters are great, but they are only good to turn the power on and off to devices. Wouldn't it be great to have a voice-enabled computer hooked up to X10 adapters throughout the home that would allow one to control multiple devices. "Oven: set right front burner to medium!" "TV: Turn on. Change channel to 4." Every device has different commands, but they would all have the ability to be controlled via the same system
I agree completely, there needs to be a standard applications communications interface (an ACI instead of an API). Take a look at my presentation on Automating Appliances (the color will be fixed a little later on). It explains what I think should happen when devices communicate. I'll be adding more as soon as I can figure out how to present the sever in the presentation.
The voice portion is actually working (but only with Windows at this time) under Misterhouse. There are a few people working with Pocket Sphinx and that looks like it might be more portable. I'm not as enamored with voice control as others are. I see lots of places where it's not appropriate (such as when people are sleeping) but that doesn't mean you shouldn't use it. For right now I doubt we'll see each module with voice control as it requires too much CPU power. Instead I think we'll see a central server and microphone strategically place around the home to handle voice commands. Many people have this setup and are quite comfortable with it now.
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