In 2018, the number of companies harnessing IoT capabilities in the field of smart home systems will continue to rapidly increase. Technological advancements that continue to add new capabilities and features have been made with better and more powerful sensors, and data collection. With the advent of AI and ML combined with IOT, the entire paradigm of smart kitchen devices has been steadily rising and as designers and technologists we have been constantly striving to create the right balance. Ever wondered how design for tech can help you transform your ordinary kitchen into a smart kitchen? One of the most apt use cases in a kitchen is the constant storage and replenishment of groceries. So what if the most common accessory or product in your kitchen is the one that keeps a track on your inventory and creates a shopping list on your smartphone, and gets it delivered directly to your doorstep. To look at this possibility, we came up with a concept jar, named STOK. With our daily schedule getting more and more hectic, we tend to postpone our grocery shopping and the access to fresh ingredients and healthy eating is affected. When postponed, we forget to add items to that list. Why should one settle for eating a sandwich with no ketchup? How does the Smart Jar work? STOK is a hassle free inventory management device in your kitchen. It keeps a track of your groceries, and notifies you on your mobile phone of what’s empty, through the app, which you can use to place an order at your convenience store. You can also place the order through voice enabled system like Alexa, Google mini or any online ordering service like Amazon, Big Basket or Grofers The jar is made of materials which provides 100% optical clarity and durability. The smart jar is a simple, connected device with a mechanical load cell and Bluetooth transmitter. The load cell measures the weight of the ingredients in the jar. And the Bluetooth transmitter projects the information to the app on your phone or data collected via smart plug which will sync to your account. Inventory Management for a Smart Kitchen: The app synthesizes the information and notifies you about the ingredients to shop for. The hub creates and maintains a shopping list for you. Using the STOK app, the user can place an order for all the items on the shopping list, created by the hub, thus keeping the kitchen always stocked. STOK makes your inventory management easier by making your kitchen smarter, and life a lot easier. Combining Design and Tech STOK is not just made smart by adding valuable technology to it, but we pushed our boundaries to rethink the whole architecture of the conventional, boring looking kitchen jars. The basic idea of a jar is to store, and conveniently reach out for the ingredients in it. So, we designed the whole typology of the jar such that the ingredients are easily accessible and reachable. The inner walls of the container have been engineered with a defined thickness, that ensures a perfect flow when an ingredient is poured in/out. The texture of the inner wall prevents the ingredient from sticking to the base. It’s very common for Turmeric, Cinnamon and Sugar among others to leave residue which need to be dabbed out of the container. This engineered gloss texture, results in not having a tough time while cleaning out the jars. What if you need to store more than the actual size of the jar? Don’t worry, STOK takes care of that. A portion of ingredients by one means or another winds up remaining in its packaging. We tend to use another container for this little sum, or we end up forgetting about its existence. Having to reorder them over and over again can be a hassle. Our solution? Jar lids that expand. We envisioned an impactful innovative concept, where the jar lid can expand and contract according to the volume of the ingredient you need in the jar. This expansion is possible because the top cap of the jar is molded to compress and increase like an accordion. The cap is made of Food Grade Silicone. The volume of the jar fits another 20% extra. This patent pending innovation lends a pleasing user experience. The form of the cap is at an angle to provide intuitive reach and accessibility of the ingredients in the jar. And the form of the jars are made with a well defined width and rounded edges, which helps to grab the jars conveniently. You can now purchase your daily requirements in a larger quantity, and store them in STOK. This airtight container keeps your ingredients fresh round the year. You needn’t fret about your ingredients getting spoiled during summer. Go ahead and STOK up.