GE Appliances, a Haier company, is revealing future initiatives at CES 2020 driven by, as they explain, “the company’s legacy of innovation and the quest to create zero distance between consumers and their purchases.” Developed by an innovation team of industrial designers, GE Appliances is sharing visions of the way our homes will change in the future including kitchen concepts personalized to the needs of each person in the home, one that grows its own produce, and evolves over time. As a company, GE Appliances will modernize the home and enhance experiences through the fusion of technology, human insights and future forecasting to benefit everyone, everywhere, from now into the future.   

“At GE Appliances, our driving force is to eliminate the distance between what we make and what our consumers need, and it propels us to imagine what’s to come,” said Shawn Stover, vice president of SmartHome Solutions, GE Appliances. “We ask ourselves daily, ‘What If?’ — and it is these inquisitive explorations that drives our CES 2020 expressions from the transformative concepts in our booth to our live sessions on stage featuring thought-leaders throughout the world.” 

GE Appliances showcased two inventive kitchen concepts – “Shift” and “HomeGrown” – that address the world’s current and forthcoming realities, infusing technology, design and the human experience:  

“Shift”  

While the kitchen is considered the hub of the home, traditional kitchen design and technology cater to the needs of just a few. With multigenerational homes on the rise, an aging population and the unmet needs of those with differing physical abilities, GE Appliances asked, “What if a kitchen could empower and enable all by adapting to differing needs?”  

Shift is a tech-powered, personalized, inclusive, flexible design that transforms a single living space in real-time, adapting to the personalized needs of the different people living there. The connected, tech-forward space is accessible for a range of physical statures, ages and abilities, utilizing face and voice recognition technology to determine available features, height adjustments and appliance functionality. 

“HomeGrown”  

GE is also Imagining a future where more people have more access to food directly from its source, because the source is already in the kitchen. The next generation Farm to Table movement is Counter to Table, which has implications beyond personal health and wellness, including food safety, cost-savings and a reduced carbon footprint. The GE Appliances vision for a future where there is zero distance between what you eat and what you grow is HomeGrown, a visionary kitchen that grows, stores and prepares food for the urban-dwelling realities of tomorrow – all while maximizing energy and water efficiency and reducing food waste.   

Three different gardening systems – Aeroponics, Hydroponics and Soil – enable in-kitchen plant, produce and tree production. Water, nutrient and even light delivery is controlled through the user interface, which also guides the user through seeding, harvesting and even preparing crops.  

HomeGrown kitchen’s appliances, storage and counter recognize whole and packaged foods, adjust storage and cooking temperature, detect freshness and expiration dates, assist in portioning and preparation and deliver nutritional information, all enabling a more mindful experience in and out of the kitchen.