With this technique, it is, for example, possible to use your kettle and heat water, without connecting it to a power outlet.
Published
Update
Reading time: 3 min
The Seattle connected kitchen show just closed its doors in June. Among the trends, we find a new generation of worktops capable of transmitting electricity. The advantage is to be able to use your small household appliances wirelessly, that is to say without having to plug anything in.
Imagine that a kettle placed on the worktop turns on by itself. The water starts to heat up even though nothing is connected. Even worse, if you remove the kettle and put a frying pan in its place, it will also start to heat up. All this, without any plate and completely wireless! This is what the Ki Cordless Kitchen standard allows. Worktops capable of powering the devices placed on them, in precise locations. It works by induction, like a wireless phone or electric toothbrush charger. The mechanism is, in this case, integrated directly into the worktop.
The pan can cook food without a plate because the bottom of the latter is a mini induction plate. There are buttons on the handle. And it starts up as soon as it is placed on one of the famous locations. Everything is pretty well secured. There is no risk of burning or electrocuting yourself if you pass your hand over it or if you put water on it, for example.
The first devices are starting to be marketed by Haier, Philips and Samsung. This will allow you to have truly designer kitchens, with nothing lying around. We keep our devices in the closet. We only take them out when we need them. No more ugly plugs or dangling wires.
You will first have to change your work plan, a serious handicap, because the technology still remains quite expensive. You have to count 1000€ in addition to the price of the worktop. This is why manufacturers like Kitchenery offer an intermediate option: a cordless blender or kettle powered, this time, by the induction hob. We place them on the plate and they set off. It’s not as elegant as being able to place them anywhere on the countertop. But this will still help avoid trailing wires.