Amazon is working on a smart fridge that reorders things so you never run out of milk

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Amazon is reportedly working on a smart fridge that can reorder your groceries once it notices you’re running low. That’s according to Insider, who say the fridge uses some of the same tech that powers Amazon’s cashierless Amazon Go stores.

The team behind the “just walk out” tech used in the cashierless stores is heading up the smart fridge project, with members of the Amazon Fresh and Labs126 hardware teams also in the mix.

When available, the smart fridge would likely use computer vision, multiple sensors, and AI to keep track of all of its contents and figure out when things are about to run out.

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It could then potentially reorder groceries without user input, or notify you first. The system could also give you recipe options based on what’s inside the fridge. There’s also the chance that Alexa will be included inside the fridge, adding voice control to things like the reordering process.

Insider also says that Amazon wouldn’t manufacture the fridges itself, with a similar manufacturing partnership like with its Fire TV smart TV sets.

Amazon has reportedly spent $50 million or more every year on this smart fridge project since its inception at least two years ago. That’s a lot of money, but it’s not a guarantee that Amazon will bring this smart fridge to market.

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The company is known for killing off projects before they get out of the prototyping stages, and it might decide that there isn’t enough profit in the eventual sales. Then again, if it links up into Amazon and Whole Foods for grocery ordering, there’s a whole lot of associated profits to be had.

My two cents? If this fridge can track expiry dates for me, sign me up now.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.