To help refrigerator manufacturer Liebherr improve upon its SmartDeviceBox, tech giant Microsoft has announced plans to partner with the appliance company on upcoming releases. A communication module that connects Liebherr’s fridges to the internet, the SmartDeviceBox essentially turns any of its lineup of refrigerators into a connected appliance. Like Samsung’s Family Hub refrigerator — sans the giant touchscreen — these fridges grant owners a wide range of capabilities including knowing what’s inside and when it spoils, shopping list integration, and innovative meal planning.
According to a blog post on Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft’s website, its role in the Liebherr partnership is to provide the appliance purveyor with computer vision capability. Liebherr turned to Microsoft due in part to its successful history of developing deep learning algorithms for image processing, Scientists at Microsoft have teamed with the folks at Liebherr to develop a system capable of recognizing specific kinds of food products inside the fridge. After recognizing these items — ketchup, milk, etc. — it then allows owners to see how soon they need to replenish the goods.
“Although the current system is a prototype, the deep learning technology it uses is already very powerful and rapidly maturing,” read the blog post. “Liebherr and Microsoft are actively improving these technologies to turn the newest generation of refrigerators into smart appliances that don’t just cool your food but interactively help you with your food management.”
The idea is that as the tech advances, it will help families shop smarter and know exactly what’s needed on a trip to the store. To access the information, owners would simply load up a companion smartphone application on either an iOS-enabled or Android-enabled smartphone. As of now, the updated SmartDeviceBox with Microsoft’s imaging capability is merely in a testing phase, so it’s unknown when exactly the companies intend to make it available to the public.
Few things ruin a quiet evening faster than a robot vacuum roaring through the living room. Most of us end up pausing the cleaning run, which defeats the whole purpose of owning one. Matic thinks it has the answer with its new Serene robot vacuum, and the big selling point is how little noise it makes.
The Matic Serene runs at 52 decibels even when cleaning at full power. To put that in perspective, Matic compares it to the hum of your refrigerator. It is available now for $1,695, which is $200 more than the original Matic’s current price.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.