iblog

Steve Robinson:

Every Saturday I take a look at the strangest gadget from the past week.
This week, it’s the Voice-Activated Microwave from Daewoo

“I Want To Speak To The Chef…”

The R&D Department at Daewoo were bored. They were tired of finding new ways to sell cars, and needed a new project to keep them occupied. Suddenly, there was a bang from the kitchen. The work experience boy had left the spring rolls in the microwave too long and the whole place was on fire. After they had doused the flames, one of the team had a brainwave. Suppose they built a microwave that knew what you wanted to cook? One that could understand the human voice, so you could request what you wanted to heat up and let the oven do the work? How about 40 different commands, with 95% accuracy across a range of accents? We need never burn the microwave popcorn again, they thought!

Unfortunately, what they didn’t stop to realise is that no-one in their right mind is going to start talking to the microwave. The kids will give you very odd looks when they come home from school and you’re standing in the kitchen chatting to a metal box. It’s ‘Buck Rodgers’ meets ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’, and it’s one ready-made idea too far.

Daewoo’s Voice-Activated Microwave is due for release in America in 2007.
Daewoo.com