20-21 PE Smart Kitchen_PROGRESSIVE ELECTRICAL 31/05/2016 12:20 Page 2
Trends focus
Tailoring tastes Exclusively Housewares will showcase Tefal’s new ActiFry Smart XL as well as its Cook4Me Connect. A decade on the from the launch of the Tefal ActiFry (and over eight million sales later), the next generation ActiFry can be controlled via Bluetooth and a dedicated app. Users can wirelessly send more than 200 recipes straight to the low fat fryer. Meanwhile, Tefal’s new Cook4Me Connect also has integrated Bluetooth technology, enabling consumers to control the one pot cooker from a smartphone or tablet. The show will also feature Jura’s Smart Connect: “By downloading the Jura Coffee app iOS or Android app onto a tablet device, consumers can now set their personal coffee preferences, such as adjusting the strength, temperature and cup size,” explains Roger Heap, managing director at Jura UK. De’Longhi’s new PrimaDonna Elite (distributed by Exclusively Electrical exhibitor, EPE Group) also allows coffee lovers to personalise their perfect cup straight from a Bluetooth enabled app on a mobile device wherever they are in the home. The machine can create 100s of different varieties of coffee based drinks all from one machine and sets up personal profiles by memorising ideal aroma, temperature and quantity of coffee and milk for each drink. Neal Jones, De’Longhi UK and Ireland country manager reflects on recent research on rising expectations from coffee drinkers. A Censuswide survey of 2,000 adults revealed that one in three (31%) of British consumers admit that they would rather skip a coffee than have a bad cup; 14% say they would look down on friends or family if they served instant coffee
and one in seven people (14%) have now tried more than 10 types of coffee bean to find their perfect brew. Neal states: “Coffee has grown from a functional routine to a pleasurable pastime where a one size fits all drink is no longer acceptable - each coffee lover has their own unique interpretation of the perfect brew. The key reason for this is the increasing choice of good quality coffee beans and equipment available, combined with a natural inkling to learn about and experiment with coffee styles – just as selecting fine wine requires knowledge and experience, so too does blending and creating coffee.” He emphasises that the new machine provides coffee lovers with the “ultimate drink personalisation, in the comfort of their own home.”
Above: A decade after the first ActiFry – the Tefal ActiFry Smart XL can be seen at Exclusively Housewares. Below: Making connections -Tom Boettcher from Human Labs talked about the increasing use of home robotics in his presentation the Internet of Things at Chicago’s IH+HS.
A little help from robotic friends Connected appliances and gadgetry showcased at Chicago’s IH+HS included the Somabar Robotic Bartender - the world’s first WiFi connected, app controlled robotic bartending appliance created for the home kitchen. Somabar founder and ceo, Dylan Purcell-Lowe told PE that the machine was inspired by “the renaissance of cocktails” and his love of technology. Being brought to market via KickStarter, Dylan confirms that 98% of the machine’s $1million of pre-orders are for personal use. With a menu of over 300 drinks, Somabar users can upload and download their own cocktails and share with fellow users. “The social network adds to the fun of cocktail making, expanding the social experience,” Dylan reflects. IH+HS exhibitor Anova Culinary has launched the first connected sous vide device. Anova’s Precision Cookers attach to an existing pan and work by bringing water temperature to an exact point for an extended period. Foods such as meat, fish or vegetables are submerged in vaccum sealed bag and retain flavours and nutrients that are usually lost in other types of cooking. The Precision Cooker WiFi enables home cooks to start, stop and monitor their cooking when away from the kitchen. Stephan Svajian, ceo and co-founder of Anova says the device is “changing the way people cook,” adding, “It’s not about the WiFi as a feature, but about the benefits and lifestyle that it can unlock.” The presentation on Home and Interior Trends for Spring Summer 2017 by Trend Bible’s Naomi Shedden at Chicago’s IH+HS included the theme, ‘Activate’ - a trend inspired by the emergence of smart home technologies. Naomi noted that the concept of the smart home will begin to move away from being an early adopter activity to something that impacts daily life for the majority of householders as more everyday objects become intelligent products that seamlessly adjust to the user’s lifestyle. The opening speaker for the IH+HS’ series of seminars, Tom Boettcher from Human Labs (dedicated to the discovery and application of technologies and ideas to help individuals improve their health and performance) posed the question: IoT, the Internet of Things: But do things think? Tom reflected that the IoT traces its roots back to the 1980s, with a Coke machine at Carnegie Mellon University in the US that was programmed to remote-order refills. Today’s ‘things’ that ‘think’ (and are therefore ‘smart’) include Philips Hue lights activated by smartphone, or beds which can monitor heart rate. Developments have usually started because of a ‘need’ like health and these are usually the early adopters, noted Tom. However, home robotics are now increasing and are being designed to help an ageing population. • Audio recordings of IH+HS presentations (and more information on the show) can be heard at www.housewares.org.
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PROGRESSIVE ELECTRICALS