Irish smart kitchen company Fresco has unveiled a new all-in-one operating system that will offer a seamless cooking experience for connected appliances, partnering with Instant Brands for the launch.
KitchenOS is a platform that can be integrated into appliances, making them easier to use, reducing the fragmentation in the smart kitchen sector and allowing users to combine the capabilities of connected appliances. Users will be able to access any appliance using the platform, regardless of brand, through their Fresco account on their interface of choice, from smartphones and appliance screens to smart speakers and smart home assistants.
Chief executive Ben Harris said the company had learned from its experience building its own kitchen appliance, the Drop scale, and its subsequent work with kitchen partners such as Instant Pot and Kenwood.
“The three things that were standing in our way was we needed new firmware for every single appliance, we needed to build a new user interface for every single appliance and, and then at the same time our partner apps would be downloaded millions of times,” he said. At the same time, he noted, there was little additional value to consumers past the ability to start appliances and stop them through the app.
The new KitchenOS can be integrated into apps and websites, offering everything from appliance control with compatible devices to guided cooking with smart recipes and engagement. It will allow cross-brand connectivity, offering a familiar interface within a brand’s own app, and enabling home cooks to work across appliances from different brands when cooking a meal.
“We’ve rebuilt the whole platform from the ground up to allow us to rapidly add new appliances onto the platform,” Mr Harris said.
He described the platform as a “stepping stone” for the smart kitchen, helping it to reach its potential. The company has undertaken months of research to identify the barriers for home cooks, and develop a system that would help solve them.
The first appliance to use the new platform will be the Instant Pot Pro Plus, with others to follow.
“Fresco’s platform enables appliance manufacturers to tap into the full potential of their connected products and provide seamless experiences for their customers,” said Fresco’s chief product officer Anthony Sullivan. “Using the built-in smart tools, appliance manufacturers can better engage with and understand the needs of their customers every time they cook. In turn, manufacturers are able to enhance usage of their appliances and develop new consumer-centric products.”
Fresco also provides a dedicated team of experts tasked with onboarding appliance manufacturers and helping them reduce the time, complexity, and cost of launching smart appliances. . This is a competitive edge that will become even more valuable as consumer demand for smarter home appliances continues to increase.
“Our mission is to ensure that every home cook has the best possible cooking experience when using their Instant Pot Pro Plus,” said CEO of Instant Brands, Ben Gadbois. “Cooking helps bring us all closer together, and Fresco’s new platform makes it easy for home cooks everywhere to enjoy seamless and joyful cooking. We’re excited to partner with Fresco and to bring several additional connected devices to the market this year to help bring the vision of the smart kitchen to life.”
