Two types of innovations catch my eye as I roam the floor at CES, the world's largest display of future tech. One type is that which wows with impressive engineering -- for example, a travel mug that both grinds and brews cold brew coffee in the same vessel. The other is less mind-boggling but driven by function, solving an age-old problem or daily nuisance.
GE Profile's new smart fridge, featuring a built-in grocery barcode scanner, falls squarely in the latter cohort. While the scanner is not a feature that raises questions about how it was done, it does prompt us to wonder why it took so long for someone to introduce it.
I got to play around with the smart fridge at a private press preview in Las Vegas. What stood out was how easy the barcode scanner is to use and how beneficial it would be for keeping track of weekly groceries and streamlining the list-making and grocery shopping experience.
How it works
The scanner system recognizes more than 4 million groceries and household products. David Watsky/CNET
A simple barcode scanner is mounted near the water dispenser in the fridge's small hub screen, recognizing over 4 million common groceries and household products. When you're running low on your preferred brand of coffee beans, garbage bags or 2% milk, you simply scan the barcode, and the item is then added to your weekly shopping list, which is accessible through the mobile app, of course.
Even foods that don't have a barcode can be added using a voice command. Simply engage the fridge and say something like, "Add Granny Smith apples to the grocery list." Boom, it's there.
I tried it. Even in the loud and busy showroom, the fridge heard me and acted dutifully.
You can scan and order groceries directly from your fridge
Scanned items go directly to a grocery list, accessible from your phone or tablet. David Watsky/CNET
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