Over the past couple months Samsung has expanding its SmartThings Energy offering with impressive gusto, and now, with CES 2024 on the horizon, the company has announced its plans to start building out its Samsung Food ecosystem with all new AI-powered smart kitchen appliances such as the Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with AI Family Hub+, which, it seems at last will be incorporating the long-spoken of AI Vision Inside feature.
According to Samsung, the feature uses a smart internal camera that can recognize items being placed in and out of the refrigerator and can identify up to 33 different fresh food items based on predefined set of training data comprising approximately one million food photographs. Combining this with the food list available on the Family Hub+ screen, users can also add expiration date information to items they would like to keep track of and receive alerts on via the refrigerator.
In Samsung’s own vision, the Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with AI Family Hub+ is meant to serve as the center piece of the company’s “food ecosystem,” being able to tie into and orchestrate specific interactions with other Samsung products and services, such as Samsung’s recipe and food planning app Samsung Food—which users will be able to access via the Family Hub+—and Samsung Health.
For instance, in connecting with Samsung Health, Samsung Food can use the provided health information to suggest healthy, appropriate recipes whose instructions can then be sent to the appropriate appliance, such as the forthcoming Samsung Anyplace Induction Cooktop and Slide-in Range, which, according to Samsung, comes with a 7” LCD screen that allows users to display recipes.
The new induction cooktop will also be on display at CES 2024 and will feature Samsung’s proprietary induction sheet coil technology along with an Anti-Scratch Glass instead of a typical ceramic glass. Users will also be able to access the Samsung Food application via the Induction Cooktop.
Additionally, Samsung Food is receiving several upgrades that will be present in its CES 2024 outing, including a Personalize feature that can adapt recipes to user dietary requirements beyond what was previously possible. This includes new options for gluten-free, pescatarian, dairy-free and other diets.
Meanwhile, the new ‘Image-to-Recipe’ feature with the enhanced Vision AI now recognizes meals and multiple food items from photographs and explores dishes that can be made with those ingredients.
Lastly, Tailored Meal Plan analyzes users’ information by connecting it to their Samsung Health profiles to create personalized meals based on their health needs.
Presently the release date on these products and features is unknown, but attendees to Samsung’s booth at CES 2024 will be able to try out these new advancements firsthand.
The news of this most recent expansion comes following the opening of Samsung’s SmartThings ecosystem to Third-Party Bridges on Matter, potentially opening the way for products outside of Samsung to be incorporated into the SmartThings ecosystem with devices such as the Family Hub acting as the bridge. However, whether these developments will be enough to overcome consumer apprehension surrounding privacy issues and cost associated with smart appliances is yet to be seen.
