Use sensors and IoT to track food in fridge to allow an app to display data so that the user can track their current inventory and make decisions on recipes, shopping, etc.
Background
The device would be built into individual/family consumer homes, inside of fridges or freezers or pantries. Possibly could be sold pre-installed in a device, or marketed as something that could be added in by the user.
Methodology
The device would consist of sensors that could recognize and pull from a database of products what items are currently in the space, and also note which are removed/replaced as they are used. The data could be stored for use with a graphical app interface, to check what you have available, or alert to items that are "staples" like milk, eggs etc. when they need to be restocked. The user could program which items these are manually.
Expected Results
We expect to be able to create a device capable of tracking a small amount of common and simple food items. It will most likely only be able to detect easily distinguishable products with little clutter. Alternatively, product labels and serial numbers could be used to track with a product database, but that would require the user to scan barcodes and contradicts the intended automation of the device.
Costs
The costs for this project would likely be high, requiring plenty of sensors and cameras to track the current inventory of the fridge, as well as items being removed and added.