London, UK – Dec. 27, 2023 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced that it will use CES® 2024 to introduce Samsung’s newest kitchen products, applications and features, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and SmartThings connectivity, enabling an ecosystem that delivers better food and kitchen experiences. Notable products and features in the lineup include the 2024 Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with AI Family Hub+^[1] — which is the industry’s first home Internet of Things (IoT) refrigerator launched in 2016 — equipped with the all-new AI Vision Inside feature, the new Anyplace Induction Cooktop and enhancements to the Samsung Food service.

“We are both proud and excited to be showcasing these upgraded AI and connectivity features, which utilize the latest technology to help everyone take their food and kitchen experiences to the next level,” said Moohyung Lee, EVP and Head of the Customer eXperience Team of the Digital Appliances Business at Samsung Electronics. “We are committed to letting users enjoy the many benefits of our innovative food ecosystem across a wide range of devices and features.” 

AI Features That Enable Food Ideas and Intelligence

To enhance the experience in the kitchen, the 2024 Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with AI Family Hub+ has been packed with a variety of innovative technologies. One impressive new feature is AI Vision Inside, which uses a smart internal camera that can recognize items being placed in and out of the refrigerator. Also, it is equipped with ‘Vision AI’ technology, which can identify up to 33 different fresh food items based on predefined set of training data comprising approximately one million food photographs^[2] . With the food list that is available and editable on the Family Hub+ screen, users can also manually add expiration date information for items that they would like to keep track, and the refrigerator sends out alerts through its 32” LCD screen for items before reaching that date.

Image of food list generated by AI Vision Inside on Family Hub+

Also, with the assistance of the Fridge Manager feature, which monitors the status of the water filter in the refrigerator and alerts when a replacement is needed, the Family Hub+ screen offers easy, one-click purchase of new water filters from Amazon^[3].

Appliance screen functionality does not stop there. Samsung’s new Anyplace Induction Cooktop and Slide-in Range are each equipped with a 7” LCD screen, where users can view the recipes that were selected and saved from the Family Hub+ to assist their meal preparation. The new Anyplace Induction also offers improvements in its basic cooking features such as efficient and borderless heating of pots and pans on any part of the cooktop, thanks to Samsung’s induction sheet coil technology. And with Anti-Scratch Glass applied instead of a typical ceramic glass, users won’t have to worry about scratching their induction surface when moving cookware.

What’s more, the Samsung Food application — which can now be accessed on the Family Hub+, the Anyplace Induction Cooktop and the Slide-in Range — brings several upgraded AI features. The ‘Personalize’ feature³ powered by the enhanced Food AI allows users to adapt recipes to reflect their dietary requirements beyond what was previously available — vegan, fusion — to accommodate gluten-free, pescatarian, dairy-free and other diets. Meanwhile, the new ‘Image-to-Recipe’ feature^[4] with the enhanced Vision AI now recognizes meals and multiple food items from photographs and explores dishes that can be made with those ingredients. Lastly, Tailored Meal Plan analyzes users’ information by connecting to their Samsung Health profiles^[5] to create personalized meals based on their health needs.

AI-Powered Connected Appliances and Features for an Enhanced Kitchen Every Day

With the Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with AI Family Hub+ as the center piece, the food ecosystem is all about how the AI features in these kitchen products and the Samsung Food service connect and support each other, enabling users to have a better relationship with their food throughout the day and delivering a full range of smart, connected kitchen experiences.

Samsung Food also connects with and ties in Samsung Health^[6] to benefit the lives of users. The service uses the health information collected from Samsung Health to suggest healthy, appropriate recipes. After that, users can send cooking instructions for these recipes to their various kitchen appliances with just a few key presses. 

Then there is Tap View^[7], which offers enhanced convenience by allowing users to easily mirror the display of their Galaxy smartphones to the Family Hub+ screen. Furthermore, users can also enjoy videos from the YouTube application right from the refrigerator screen for more information and entertainment.

Image of kitchen with Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with AI Family Hub+

All these advancements build toward Samsung’s greater goal of expanding its seamlessly connected, AI-based food ecosystem with the key focus of providing users with superior kitchen experiences that require less effort.

Availability

Users can visit the Samsung booth at CES® 2024 to experience the enhanced AI and connectivity of the innovative food ecosystem.

[1] Does not mean all services available on the Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with AI Family Hub+ are AI or generate information or outcome using AI. The services/features that use deep learning models are limited to 1) AI Vision Inside and 2) Bixby features.

[2] Detecting and identifying food items are based on our deep learning model trained using predefined set of data and may yield incomplete or incorrect information. New datasets may be introduced to our learning model from time to time to enhance its accuracy.

[3] Service provided in U.S. only.

[4] Part of the services of Samsung Food+ paid subscription that requires Samsung account.

[5] Service available with user’s consent.

[6] Will be available after 1Q 2024. Applicable models only.

[7] Will be available after 2Q 2024. Applicable models only.

The IDEA 2021 awards for Samsung include creative designs across multiple categories, showcasing Samsung’s excellence in consumer lifestyle design from product design to interactive and advanced concept design.

IDEA, hosted by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), has been held annually since 1980. Widely viewed as the most influential design awards program in North America, IDEA considers design innovation, benefit to user and benefit to society as part of its criteria for selecting its awardees.

Samsung attained seven Silver awards for its cutting-edge creations including:

• Samsung Neo QLED 8K (QN900A) which deploys the Infinity Screen design that maximises immersion by minimising the bezel.

• Bespoke Cube air purifier (AX9500N)* with the innovative concept of letting consumers choose the purifier’s front panel design according to their lifestyle.

• Bespoke Slim (VS6800AL)*, a vacuum cleaner which offers a slim and customisable design that fits in a small space.

• SmartThings Cooking, enabling one-stop culinary experience powered by Whisk’s Food AI.

The following received Bronze awards:

• The Frame, a lifestyle TV that can be matched to any home décor and features ‘Art Mode,’ which allows viewers to enjoy masterpieces from their homes.

• The Premiere, a lifestyle projector designed for those who want to create a theatre-like environment in their homes.

• Bespoke 4-Door Flex refrigerator*, which helps consumers achieve their desired lifestyles through flexible, personalised offerings.

“The pandemic affected consumers’ lifestyles in many ways, so it is more important than ever to keep an eye on how those change and to offer meaningful experiences to consumers accordingly,” said Dontae Lee, Executive Vice President and the Head of Corporate Design Center at Samsung Electronics. “We will continue to provide optimized experiences for consumers based on a variety of lifestyles with the design that best resonates with them.”

The IDEA 2021 Ceremony was held virtually on September 21. The International Design Conference is also being held virtually for two days from September 22 to 23. Dontae Lee is scheduled to deliver a keynote titled ‘Design for a Better Tomorrow’ at the event.

The list of all 48 award-winning designs can be found here.

*Product not available in the UK