There is a new Kickstarter for Tupperware containers that keep track of how long your food is left in the refrigerator so that it doesn't go to waste. The Ovie Smarterware is currently compatible with Amazon's Alexa and soon to be with Google Home.
The system has three different devices to monitor the freshness of your food: a universal tag for containers (such as to-go boxes), a SmartTag that goes on an Ovie container, or a clip for bags of food.
The devices are very simple to use. All you have to do is attach the device to your food packaging, press the button to turn it on, and then either use the app to manually type in what you're storing or simply tell Alexa. There is a separate hub that you plug into the wall which connects the two together.
After you press the button and say "Alexa, tell Ovie this is quinoa salad", it will monitor the amount of time that you store it. It uses a database of spoilage times to determine how long your food should last. You do have the option to manually change the countdown.
The device will light up green when the food is freshly tagged. Once half of the predicted duration of the food passes, the light changes to yellow. This means that the food needs to be eaten soon or it will spoil. Red indicates that the countdown has ended. When the light turns red the food has gone bad and should be thrown out.
You are also able to track what food is in your fridge and how long it will last on your mobile phone using their app. You can enable notifications that will alert you when your food is going bad. The app will also suggest recipes that use ingredients that are already in your refrigerator.
Most people don't need sensors on their food to know when it's going bad. Regardless, it is still an interesting concept to have an immediate visual when you open the fridge. There are already similar concepts on the market but Ovie's Smarterware seems to be the most straightforward and user-friendly.
It is currently listed on Kickstarter for $60. This includes three Ovie SmartTags, three Smarterware Universal Connectors, and an Ovie Hub. They are expected to ship out in February 2019 but, as with all Kickstarter projects, it is not guaranteed.
English
French