SIMMi

Ce qu'il fait

SIMMi is a smart cooking appliance that focuses on stirring food, automatically managing liquids pouring, providing accurate temperature and humidity readings. It prevents food from burning and being wasted, giving users alarms if issues are detected.

Votre source d'inspiration

The inspiration comes initially from noticing that younger adults are passionate about cooking but often lack the time and skills to dedicate to it. Later I realized that such an appliance is even more useful to elders and impaired people, making cooking more accessible for everyone equally. Thus I tried to devise a simple and affordable cooking appliance that can blend in already existing kitchens without fully automating cooking, so the most strenuous parts are automated but the joy of cooking is preserved. It doesn't substitute the pots and pans someone owns, but joins with them for a better experience.

Comment ça marche

SIMMi is composed of 3 main body parts: an universal lid (20 to 24 cm diameter to adapt to the most used pot sizes), a water tank, and the main body containing the motor and sensors. Uniform stirring is achieved using a planetary gearbox, covering all of the pot. Inside, a solenoid valve regulates water or other liquid puring inside the pots. Humidity, smoke detection and temperature sensors are placed on the bottom of the lid to monitor the cooking process. To simplify interaction, a smart knob, featuring an embedded LCD screen, is placed on the top part of the device, allowing for intuitive control with a minimal interface. The battery slot is placed on the top part and is easily removable, in case it runs out of battery while cooking. Lastly core part features an opening to allow to add seasoning and other solid foods in the pot without lifting the lid.

Processus de conception

The design process started from research on market trends and interviews both with users and professionals in the food industry. After noticing a market gap in the semi automatic cooking appliances sector, the project focused on delivering the best experience to help people unable to cook or struggling with cooking. To avoid creating a stand alone product, it was decided to focus on an object that could be implemented in already existing kitchens and enhances the cooking experience, instead of being a fully automatic product. In this way its possible to preserve the joy of cooking, for oneself and others, while automating labour and time intensive processes. Iterations were done by digital 3D modelling and 3D printing, until a coherent product was born. Both ergonomically and functionally, focusing on ease of use and cooking capabilities.

En quoi est-il différent ?

The design of SIMMi is unique as it is a "parasite" product, it blends traditional cooking techniques with smart automation, thus enabling everyone to cook and preventing food waste. It is placed in the market in an innovative position as it stands in the middle of cooking tools and fully automatic appliances. Compared to other mixing devices, it uses planetary stirring technology to mix food evenly, combined with sensor monitoring to prevent burning food, maintaining perfect temperature and automatically dispensing liquids for long simmering preparations. It features a simple and intuitive interface to enable elders and less able bodied users to effectively use the appliance in an effective and enticing way.

Plans pour l'avenir

Future plans for SIMMi involve in depth prototyping to test the functionalities and further development of the digital interface. From a business perspective, its necessary to find a company interested in development and production to bring the product to the market in a successful way. Leveraging on already existing cooking appliance technology and creating a new market sector for.

Récompenses

SIMMi was published in the ADI Design Index in 2024.