In brief: It seems Amazon is adding smart fridges to its extensive product line. According to a new report, Project Pulse will use some of the same technology found in Amazon Go stores, allowing it to track food items inside the fridge and order more when supplies run low.
Insider writes that the company has been working on the product for at least two years now. The team behind the Amazon Go system is heading up the project, with members of the Amazon Fresh and Lab126 hardware teams also involved in the smart fridge's development.
The fridge will feature multiple internal cameras and use computer vision to track what's inside. The technology is the same found in the cashier-less Amazon Go stores that utilize Just Walk Out tech, which lets customers leave the stores with their items and have the price deducted from their Amazon accounts automatically.
Additionally, the fridge will reportedly be able to monitor users' purchase habits to make suggestions. If a regularly bought item is running low, for example, it could notify a user and make it easy to order more from Whole Foods or Amazon Fresh. Project Pulse might also be able to offer recipe suggestions that include items close to their expiration dates.
Being an Amazon product, some form of Alexa integration seems likely, though the voice assistant's inclusion isn't said to be the highest priority.
Smart fridges are far from a new concept, but Amazon's version does seem to offer more features and functions than most.
Despite reportedly spending $50 million on the project, there's still no guarantee we will ever see Amazon's fridge. It's also noted that the company will likely team up with manufacturing partners if it ever does go to market. But with thermostats, ovens, TVs, and other products in its stable, the addition of a smart fridge sounds very plausible.
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