Sometimes even the strongest willpower and sternly written notes on the fridge door can't stop you from reaching for an unhealthy snack. But a disembodied voice just might, accroding to the makers of a talking fridge that will tell you to put down foods if they're bad.
The sci-fi refrigerator scans every item you put into it and then tells you what you should and shouldn't eat. Users can programme their body mass index and weight loss targets into the fridge, which uses in-built smart TV and voice recognition technology to work out who is opening the door. It then accesses that person's details and uses them to suggest healthier options, recipes and meal ideas.
The LG THINQ Smart Refrigerator will set you back over $3800 and can even switch on a compatible oven according to the recipe it has suggested. If you'd rather indulge than diet, the fridge also features a high-speed wine-chiller that can take a bottle of wine from warm to ice cold in just eight minutes, and a beer in five.
It also has an internal camera which allows you to see what's inside from a mobile phone, eliminating the need for shopping lists. And it promises to stop mouldy food languishing at the bottom of the salad drawer, as when each item is scanned the fridge records the expiry date and sends you a text when it's running out.
In the future, LG hopes the fridge will be able to link up with online shopping services.
