When science fiction visionaries imagined the 21 Century kitchen, they tended to imagine a room filled with robots, which would have control of running the kitchen down to a fine art. Most kitchens UK citizens realise nowadays are nothing like these fancifully imagined rooms of the past and instead they are a lot more mundane.
Not that this will always be the case, many designer kitchens now come with a host of features that seem to have arrived from the pages of an Arthur C Clarke or Isaac Asimov novel. Lighting that automatically comes on when you enter the room, taps that can be operated without touch via a proximity sensor, automated hand-towel dispensers and even touch screen televisions are quickly becoming the norm in some bespoke kitchens across Britain.
So, in 20 years time what will the kitchen specialist of the day look to install into typical kitchens?
The obvious answer is to look for clues in the gadgets of today. Mobile phone technology, the Internet, voice-command and hands-free equipment, inter-device communication via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, improved security via facial, thumbprint or even retinal scanning are all commercial technologies. It is from this new technology that the kitchen of the future will be developed.
In 2031, a kitchen installation will probably be very similar to what we see today. Over time, the integral features of a kitchen, the workspace, cutlery, kitchen gadgets and crockery have actually changed very little and it is hard to figure out how technology (however advanced) could seriously hope to match the practicality and ease of use of the humble tin opener.
It will be in how kitchen items are used and specifically the technology employed within that will see real evidence of progress. Many items inside the kitchen will be linked together, via wireless technology, to ensure that the kitchen is not only efficient and effective, but also cleaner and greener.
Imagine a bin that not only scans what you put into it, but also can sort it into waste that is recyclable. Furthermore, the bin could scan the code of any item placed into it and ask you whether you would like to add it to the automatically-generated shopping list that is produced over the course of a day or week.
Voice and image technology could also play a part. Imagine an oven fitted with a camera that can not only recognise what dish you are putting into it, but also the best temperature and position in the oven for cooking it. It may even provide advice on what to season the item with before or after cooking, with items that the oven knows are inside your cupboards or fridge.
Another idea would be a refrigerator that could scan food for harmful bacteria and which can alter the temperature inside accordingly to ensure that foodstuff is not only stored safely apart, but also at the perfect temperature. In addition, any unwanted heat produced by the fridge could be stored by heat-sensitive panels in the floor or walls, and subsequently used to heat the kitchen.
So the kitchen of the future will not be a case of revolution, but one of evolution, where current and future technology is used in harmony to ensure that future kitchens are cleaner, greener and safer than ever.
Not that this will always be the case, many designer kitchens now come with a host of features that seem to have arrived from the pages of an Arthur C Clarke or Isaac Asimov novel. Lighting that automatically comes on when you enter the room, taps that can be operated without touch via a proximity sensor, automated hand-towel dispensers and even touch screen televisions are quickly becoming the norm in some bespoke kitchens across Britain.
So, in 20 years time what will the kitchen specialist of the day look to install into typical kitchens?
The obvious answer is to look for clues in the gadgets of today. Mobile phone technology, the Internet, voice-command and hands-free equipment, inter-device communication via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, improved security via facial, thumbprint or even retinal scanning are all commercial technologies. It is from this new technology that the kitchen of the future will be developed.
In 2031, a kitchen installation will probably be very similar to what we see today. Over time, the integral features of a kitchen, the workspace, cutlery, kitchen gadgets and crockery have actually changed very little and it is hard to figure out how technology (however advanced) could seriously hope to match the practicality and ease of use of the humble tin opener.
It will be in how kitchen items are used and specifically the technology employed within that will see real evidence of progress. Many items inside the kitchen will be linked together, via wireless technology, to ensure that the kitchen is not only efficient and effective, but also cleaner and greener.
Imagine a bin that not only scans what you put into it, but also can sort it into waste that is recyclable. Furthermore, the bin could scan the code of any item placed into it and ask you whether you would like to add it to the automatically-generated shopping list that is produced over the course of a day or week.
Voice and image technology could also play a part. Imagine an oven fitted with a camera that can not only recognise what dish you are putting into it, but also the best temperature and position in the oven for cooking it. It may even provide advice on what to season the item with before or after cooking, with items that the oven knows are inside your cupboards or fridge.
Another idea would be a refrigerator that could scan food for harmful bacteria and which can alter the temperature inside accordingly to ensure that foodstuff is not only stored safely apart, but also at the perfect temperature. In addition, any unwanted heat produced by the fridge could be stored by heat-sensitive panels in the floor or walls, and subsequently used to heat the kitchen.
So the kitchen of the future will not be a case of revolution, but one of evolution, where current and future technology is used in harmony to ensure that future kitchens are cleaner, greener and safer than ever.