Objective: Create a food inventory system with various capabilities. This system shall:

• Identify foods by the existing bar code system
• Warn the user of upcoming food expiration
• Be capable of pantry installation
• Utilize low amounts of power

Background: There are a few products similar to this on the market, such as a fridge that knows what it contains, or an egg carton that keeps track of how many eggs are inside, so we would like to expand that idea into a new area, one just as potentially useful. If People can easily keep track of foodstuffs in their home, it should reduce waste due to spoilage, especially with notifications to remind users of up coming expirations so food can be used before it goes bad.

Methodology: The system will use a typical laser scanner paired with the existing bar code system. We can implement a database that will know how long foods normally last for, and cross reference it to what was just swiped to give it an estimated expiration date. This way users have to at most swipe goods near a sensor, then they just have to wait to get a notification on their phone, with either a warning of upcoming spoilage or a recipe idea.

Expected Results: A low cost, compact system that would notify the user via an app that the food is going bad soon, and possibly suggest recipes using the food they currently have.

Costs: The cost should be fairly low, consisting of a bar code reader and a wireless receiver. An app will also have to be created on both Android and Apple devices, which might entail some costs, as well as registration online for an easy to access database.

KT:

• Timing: The market is there and will only expand as smart homes become more common, the sooner a solution is implemented, the better.
• Trend: The trend is having smarter homes, with more connected devices, this product continues upon that trend.
• Impact: The impact of our product will be less waste in homes.
• What: A large amount of food in first world countries goes to waste every year, we hope to reduce that while minimally impacting everyday life.
• When: This problem occurs everyday, and a solution will have a delayed impact, with people making better use of current resources and it paying off over time.
• Who: People who cook regularly are the main customer, but this problem affects many people in a variety of different ways
• Where: This problem mainly exists in residential homes, with the solution being located in homes, specifically in pantries and closets
• Why: This problem exists as people forget about things they may have purchased long ago, finding goods quite a while later, this solution works by gently reminding clients of what they bought.
• How: This problem is related to a variety of food related issues, including eating healthier as well as privacy issues that plague an expansion of the Internet of Things.

Design Goals:

• Access to existing barcode database
• Ability to take user input for shelf life on top of general recommendation
• Low cost
• Application/add-on for recipe book cross-referencing
• Bluetooth connectivity

Design Specifications:

• Straightforward pantry installation
• Low power consumption
• Compact system
• Use of existing consumer laser scanners

System Diagram

Morphological Chart