High-tech 'kitchen of the future' unveiled

NEWS Frazzled working families could soon have some techie help in their kitchen, thanks to a new test project by a group of companies that includes HP and IBM. The Internet Home Alliance, a group hoping to expand the market for connected devices into the home, is set to unveil a prototype of a web-connected kitchen that lets people control their appliances remotely. The test setup, initially aimed at the US market, will consist of an internet-enabled Polara refrigerated range from Whirlpool, a "flipscreen entertainment centre" from Icebox, integration services from IBM, a printer from HP, customer services from Sears, Roebuck, and internet grocery services from Peapod. (A refrigerated range is an oven that doubles as a refrigerator, keeping food cold during the day and then automatically cooking it at a certain time.) People testing the connected kitchen will be able to program the oven to refrigerate and then cook a meal so that it's ready at dinner time. If they're running late, they can adjust cooking times via an internet or mobile phone connection. And they can turn off the oven from a mobile phone and search the web for recipes, which can then be printed. Failing to prove he's a 'nineties-man', Tim Woods, vice president of Internet Home Alliance, said: "Let's face it, this [project] is about mom, and moms are a huge opportunity in the marketplace."