Ovie – a Chicago-based tech start-up – has come up with a hassle-free and innovative solution to the pressing environmental issues surrounding food waste, with its new product range of tech-savvy Smarterware. Launching on Kickstarter, the smart kitchen system consists of connected tags that clip onto your ingredients, alongside smart containers, that tell you when your produce is at its freshest.
The Smaterware Smart Tags are a tech toy that kitchen gadget fans will eat up. The micro-devices have a slick light ring, making it easy for anyone to understand the freshness of their food better. When it shines green, you know that your produce is fresh; yellow means that it should be eaten soon, and red indicates that it should probably be thrown out. The simple and recognisable categorisation helps the consumer decide what to eat and when to eat it.
The idea is that the new food storage system will help to keep domestic waste under control while saving you money on groceries, and encouraging you to eat more freshly cooked food – smarter consumption means smarter conservation.
So far so simple. Another integrated level of Ovie’s connected functionality is that the system will send a reminder to your smartphone when the food is about to go-off, via Alexa butler bot compatibility. Extra incentive for budding tech chefs, the Smart Tags monitor what ingredients you have in the fridge and auto-scour the Internet for appropriate recipes. You’ll even have the option of ordering missing ingredients through the included groceries app.
Whether this is just another case of the ‘internet of things’ turning into the ‘internet of everything’ remains to be seen. One thing’s for sure – Ovie gives you all the elements of a smart fridge, but for a fraction of the price.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Ovie website
-
Wild sauna, anyone? The ultimate guide to exploring deep heat in the UK outdoors‘Wild Sauna’, a new book exploring the finest outdoor establishments for the ultimate deep-heat experience in the UK, has hit the shelves; we find out more about the growing trend
-
Highlights from the transporting Cruise 2026 showsThe Cruise 2026 season began yesterday with a Chanel show at Lake Como, heralding the start of a series of jet-setting, destination runway shows from fashion’s biggest houses
-
Behind the design of national pavilions in Venice: three studios to knowDesigning the British, Swiss and Mexican national pavilions at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 are three outstanding studios to know before you go
-
Neko Health expands in London with a new Spitalfields site. We take a scanWhat’s it like to experience Neko Health’s ultra-high-tech health scanning system? Wallpaper* went under the laser lights to find out
-
Cutting-edge new kitchen tech is aimed at saving time, space and foodThese new kitchen appliances are for the gadget-loving cook, from coffee creation and food preservation to space saving
-
Technogym’s new Personal Line is an exercise in neat designDesigned by Antonio Citterio, the Technogym Personal Line combines state-of-the-art fitness technology for the home with elevated craftmanship
-
Apple makes ‘2030 carbon neutral’ pledgeApple has pledged that it will become carbon netural by 2030. We take a closer look at the steps the brand is taking to evolve its sustainability practices
-
Samsung's modular approach brings bespoke design to the kitchenSamsung is looking to the future of home goods
-
Four innovative design responses to the climate emergencyDesign Emergency began as an Instagram Live series during the Covid-19 pandemic and is now becoming a wake-up call to the world, and compelling evidence of the power of design to effect radical and far-reaching change. Co-founders Paola Antonelli and Alice Rawsthorn took over the October 2020 issue of Wallpaper* –
-
Switch off at Nine Yard Studio’s WiFi-free River Cabins in CanadaRenowned for its postcard-perfect beaches and forests, Nine Yards Studio prioritised the preservation of Prince Edward Island's idyllic environment throughout the design of its River Cabins
-
Meet Baume: the future-proof watch brand making sustainable design good for business
