Microsoft's smart fridge project might soon be able to tell you when you're out of milk

Cortana may eventually be able to peek inside your refrigerator following news that Microsoft is bringing its machine learning tech to kitchens. The computer firm is working on a new computer vision module called SmartDeviceBox, which will be installed inside fridges to make them capable of recognising objects inside and telling owners when they need to re-stock. The SmartDeviceBox is essentially an internet-connected camera unit that sits inside fridges and tracks the objects inside. The unit contains an image processing system based on Microsoft's suite of deep learning tools, which has been trained to recognise a variety of products such as milk cartons, ketchup bottles and pickle jars. The system is able to collate these into an inventory list that customers can view in list form using a smartphone app.