Built-in Kitchen Computer?

shaun_gordon asks: "As a long-time geek and first-time home buyer, my wife are planning on a complete kitchen remodel. As part of the remodel, I want to put a computer into the kitchen to use for looking up recipes, controling the stereo, watching movies, etc. My only requirements are that it be Internet connected. My wife's requirements are that it be hidden. I am currently thinking of a flat screen that would fold down from under a cabinet and a keyboard in a drawer that pulls out. Has anyone had any experience installing something like this? Any recomendations on building or buying the integrated display? Anything else that I should consider?" Those looking into doing something like this may find a laptop with an 802.11-based wireless network adapter a better, and possibly cheaper, alternative for this kind of feature. Webpads might be another viable alternative, assuming they ever hit the consumer market at a worthwhile price. What suggestions might you have?

Comments

iBook

[Anonymous Coward]

These things are small, they match the color of your fridge, they are very connective, and they are very easy to use. There are all sorts of programs for the Mac that control home appliances. Also, The iBooks are alot cheaper than the TiBooks.

Mirrors but hopefully no smoke?

[matt_wilts]

How about a spin on the old Space Invaders screen idea? Mount the screen face down in an overhead cupboard, and place a hinged mirror underneath. You'd need to flip the image on screen in software, I don't know how you might do this, but it's a cheap & cheerful way to get round the "invisible" screen issue. You could even use the mirror to leave messages on.

Matt

Not a new idea

[signal ll]

This is not exactly a new idea. There have been kitchen computers before, but they didn't really catch on. Look here

Don't forget the barcode stuff

[MrBoring]

IMHO, one of the biggest advantages to having a computer in the kitchen is tracking things like groceries. Get a computer that can handle a barcode device and then get a barcode scanner.

Oh, and maybe put the computer CRT under thick glass so you could use it as a chopping board. :)

Whatever you do, try to make it accessible.

Re:Don't forget the barcode stuff

[bblough]

Actually, I bought a Virgin Webplayer to modify and use for this exact purpose.

Use it to track what you buy and what you use, and there are all kinds of things you could do with it, if you're willing to get in the habit of scanning everything -

* Automatically generate shopping lists to download to your PDA (or if you want to be really geeky, tie it in to netgrocer and let it automatically reorder whatever you're low on)

* Keep track of nutritional info for the meals you make

* Plan your menu for the week based on what food you have in the house

And you can still store recipies to boot!

Of course, like the rest of my projects, it's still not done yet...

Try a Cappuccino Machine

[pbulteel73]

I'm thinking of doing the same thing when I move into my new house. I'm thinking of using a Cappuccino with a wireless keyboard and mouse (or a touchpad) and a 15 inch flatscreen. It's small enough that I'm thinking of mounting the cappuccino underneath the cabinet (upside down.) Since I'm going to run ethernet through the house, I'll just have a jack in the cabinet.

Glass Counter

[perljon]

I would cut a square into your counter top, and place a glass in the square big enough to see your monitor through. Use sealant on the glass so that it is water resistant. Place the computer in the cabinet directly beneath it. Replace your normal drawer to fit a keyboard/touchpad/ or mouse.

This solves a couple of issues with other solutions. First, you can use and replace all parts with standard equipment. It keeps the thing completely hidden unless you are looking for it... it looks nice. It is as cheap or expensive as you want... that's what I would do.

Make sure you get a special saw blade for your counter top as normal blades will chip it.

You can run your network cable underneath your cabinat and through your floor, if you have a basement/crawspace. Shouldn't be too hard to install power either... (my garbage disposal is broken... thus I have a spare power outlet...)

I think I'm going to build this.

I've given this a bit of thought...

[debest]

The problems with a kitchen computer are numerous:

- Space - No one wants to give up counter space for a computer, and besides it would be a pain to lean over (you don't sit down very much in the kitchen).
- Cleanliness - a keyboard and mouse would be ruined in short order.
- Noise - maybe a bit of a minor issue, but it's always better to have less noise.

I always thought the following would be cool:

Hardware

- Motherboard - a mini-ITX motherboard would be perfect (low energy, possible fanless operation, tiny, integrated everything).
- Enclosure - a slim box that would mount sideways, screwed to the side inside of one of the upper cabinets.
- Cooling - if heat is a issue, a plenum could run on the inside of the cabinet from holes on the bottom of the cabinet through the enclosure to the ceiling. A fan to draw air through (as well as the power supply, ethernet, etc.) would all be up out of sight
- Screen - an LCD panel with touch-like screen, mounted portrait layout, right on the cabinet door (so that it is right at eye level, and out of reach of the small kids).
- Pen - whether it is a true touch screen (like a PDA) or a wired light pen, I don't know, but this would be the primary input device.
- Speakers & microphone - small, slim models also mounted into the cabinet door.
- USB/Firewire connections - for quick upload & download to/from a PDA, camera, memory keychain, etc.
- another PC - running as a server.

Note that I don't want a hard drive, keyboard, or mouse. The most work in this would be physically installing the screen & speakers in the door so it looks good and the wires flex properly with the door swing, and with designing the motherboard enclosure and plenum. Oh, and wiring everything through the ceiling.

Software

- X-terminal setup - this machine would be boot-on-LAN, and all storage would be over Ethernet - run as much as possible on the server end.

- Handwriting recognition - since the machine would never be used for entering in large amounts of data (I don't code while cooking), there is no need for a keyboard (most entry would be on the server, and this would mostly be a "retrieval" device) - but there should be a handwriting code for when you need to enter in text, maybe like Palm's graffiti.

- Applications - I want this machine to do the following functions
- Organizer - standard PDA stuff (calendar, address, to-do, notes, calculator, etc.)
- Recipe database - duh! (and actually useful, given the screen's location)
- Message centre - retrieve both voice and email messages
- "Thumbtack" board - leave notes for others in the house (vocal or written)
- Browser - access to the Web and local files
- Live Broadcast - you could access TV, radio, etc. with server-based tuners
- Stored Entertainment - play back mp3, divx, etc.

No word processing, spreadsheets, photo editing, games, etc. here! Just stuff that makes sense in the kitchen (communication, passive information and entertainment).

Even if all the pieces were in place for doing everything I want here, there would be a lot of work to build an interface that would pull it all together nicely. All apps would be set up for as little data entry as possible (tapping on buttons should be the main interaction).

Of course, all this is way beyond my abilities, time, and cash flow to actually do. But that's my dream kitchen machine.