simply put, RFID tags can be printed for about a penny on a package and can be preprogrammed with a UPC code and expiration date. smart fridges (which are slowly coming around) would have on their 15" lcd panel an icon that would read all the rfid tags inside, and show all items in real time their age and expected expiration or freshness date. you also have the option of adding notes to an item in inventory and when you use up an item, simply brush the item against the "remove" logo on the front of the fridge (like a speedpass) and it will delete the item from the inventory and put it on a preliminary "shopping list" for you to edit later. you could alternatively have the screen ask for confirm "out" or low" when you scan the item so if the milk is low you push it against the door, hit "low" and replace. This is all possible like 5 years ago so it would be relatively cheap and helpful to implement. FYI, if i see this on an LG fridge ill know where they got it lol.-- Arcanus, Mar 26 2010 redundant? Smart_20Fridge2 [xandram, Mar 26 2010] I believe this idea has been done and re-done...-- xandram, Mar 26 2010 I havent seen this level of interactivity posted on here yet.-- Arcanus, Mar 26 2010 This is a really cool idea (no pun indented). The only snag is that it requires the food to be tagged. What happens if you cook something and want to put it in the fridge? I guess you could have some sort of RFID-tag-printer in your kitchen, though.
But I'm wondering if we couldn't bypass one stage and come up with an even smarter system. Food spoils due to bacterial or fungal growth (and oxidation, to an extent). All of these activities produce (amongst other things) volatile compounds such as amines, thiols etc.
A "smart" sensor ought to be able to detect these compounds at relatively low concentrations, and alert the consumer at the earliest signs of spoilage, without the need for RFID tags. In the future, it might even be possible to somehow feed the output from such a sensor directly into the brain, so that the person would be able to "see" (that's the closest word I can come up with) the presence of these volatile compounds emitted from the food.
Ultimately, of course, such a sensor might find other applications, and might be made portable for use outside the kitchen. If some means were found to power the sensor conveniently, it could perhaps be worn about the person.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Mar 26 2010 //A "smart" sensor// I bet Stilton'd set that thing off pretty reliably. There would have to be a "whitelist"-- mouseposture, Mar 28 2010 paper engineering *could* print liquid level sensors as well as food temperature sensors cheaply. Also for homecooked meals I would hope that leftovers dont get forgotten for weeks at a time (i know i do it sometimes) but if you wanted to its easy to have a set of ziplock containers with rfid tags, you would scan the item on the front (speedpass type) select a catagory and expiration on the screen and Voila (french for TADA)-- Arcanus, Mar 29 2010 random, halfbakery