One of the most practical uses of any smart fridge is being able to see what food you have (and don't have) even when you're not at home. And to stay alert to food shortages, nothing beats FridgeCam, a small circular camera that transforms your dumb fridge into a smart one.
At CES 2017, London-based company Smarter announced FridgeCam, a small circular camera that attaches to the inside wall of the fridge door to control the food you have. In this way, FridgeCam transforms your dumb fridge into a smart one, as it takes a photo of the interior every time you close the door. That photo is instantly sent to your smartphone via the Smarter app, where you can review it when you're shopping or whenever you want to check your food supply. But the best part is that both the camera and the app are smart enough to know when you run out of a particular product, automatically adding it to your shopping list.
Another function of the app is to alert you to buy the necessary food when you're near a grocery store. FridgeCam is also smart enough to know when a product has been moved inside, preventing you from buying food you already have but have relocated. An interesting detail is that the Smarter app can also track expiration dates. This feature will make the app send you alerts when a particular food is near its expiration date, hoping you'll eat it before it becomes inedible.
The Smarter app also has a feature called Smarter Chef, which suggests recipes you can make with the food currently in your fridge. Unfortunately, FridgeCam cannot provide live tracking in the fridge like other smart fridges can, as that type of functionality would drastically reduce battery life. Since FridgeCam only takes photos and is in standby mode most of the time, Smarter estimates the battery lasts six months, but you can charge it via a USB-C port. FridgeCam costs 120 euros and will be available from the second quarter of 2017.
