Electrolux plans to sell an oven later this year that streams live video to your phone or tablet, so you can keep an eye on a roast from the comfort of your couch.
According to Bloomberg, the high-tech oven will launch later this year. Users will be able to download recipes to a companion app, and view a live feed of the cooking chamber through a built-in camera.
Electrolux, the world’s second-largest appliance maker, has shown off the streaming video concept before. But now it sounds like the company is ready to move forward with an actual product. It’s unclear how much it’ll cost, or when it’ll actually be available.
The oven apparently is part of a larger push by Electrolux to create more of a bond with its users through smart home features. The company’s Let’s Taste app already allows users of certain steam ovens to view recipes on mobile devices, and the plan is to create a community where users can share tips. Electrolux has previously said that it wants to interact with other connected devices, for instance showing alerts on your television then the food is ready.
Jan Brockmann, Electrolux’s chief operating officer, told Bloomberg that he expects smart appliances to make up 10 percent of the market in five years. “This is a year of massive launches,” Brockmann said.
Why this matters: Electrolux’s plans come amid increasing interest in smart homes from its biggest appliance rivals. Whirlpool, the world’s largest appliance maker, now offers remote monitoring and controls in several of its products, and its latest washers and dryers work with Nest to automatically activate an energy-saving mode when users aren’t home. Samsung also has huge smart home ambitions , and its appliances will likely play a major role as the company tries to build an open platform for connecting different products.
It’ll be a while before these visions of a hyper-connected home become reality. But until then, at least you can watch yourself burn a chicken in real time.