The design of intelligent cookware

Abstract

This thesis investigates the opportunity of teaching people how to cook by analyzing the ingredients' chemical content as they are using them, and the consequent creation of a specific class of context-aware cookware that aids its users. An inquisition on the chemical content of different food and the appropriate electronics for measuring it was done. An instrument, with embedded sensors and intelligence and in the form of a spatula, was created base on the result of the research, and tested to be able to measure salinity, acidity, temperature, and consistency. This tool was used to demonstrate that several ingredients could be measured easily, and recipes as varied as pickles and pancakes could be improved. The work demonstrates the possibility of having intelligence in the kitchen, and examines the pedagogical value of intelligent tools when they are capable of collaborating with and guiding its user. The research also inquires into the field of ubiquitous computing, in which sensors are placed in ordinary objects, and to assess its impact in a domestic environment.