The Hexpirons are ‘Smart’ fridge magnets that monitor the expiration of household foods. The devices use visual cues to warn consumers as to when their foods are close to expiry. After a food shop, the food information is sent to the devices and they become activated. Initially, the lights on each individual Hexpiron turn green and gradually change to red over a certain time period, depending on the food, to signify the food expiring. Each individual Hexpiron displays the food’s name, how many days are left of the expiration period and a personalised message, to help the user connect with the devices. Each Hexpiron has a reset button, located on the back, so it can be deactivated when the food has been consumed. The devices are linked to a phone App, this helps the users track which foods they have in the house, so they don’t accidently buy any duplicates on their next food shop. The Hexpirons encourage people to group foods expiring soon and inspires them to cook meals with these new combinations. In addition, the Hexpirons help people save money by using food they would otherwise have thrown away whilst reducing food waste.
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The Hexpirons are ‘Smart’ fridge magnets that change from green to red over a period of days to represent food freshness. The Hexpirons are linked to a phone App to keep a record of expiration dates.The Hexpirons remind people what foods they have in their house, so that they are not forgotten and thrown away.
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The user prepares a shopping list on the App.
The user refers to the shopping list in the supermarket. -
The expiry dates are inputted into the App manually or through bar code scanning.
At the checkout, the user sends the shopping list information to the Hexpirons. -
When user enters their house, the Wifi signal activates the Hexpiron fridge magnets.
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The Hexpiron’s lights and screens become active through the Wifi signal.
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The Hexpirons change colour from green to red to show food transitioning from fresh to expired.
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The phone App shows how many days are left before the food expires, and also displays an online link to show potential recipes the food could be used in.
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The user’s phone tracks expiration visually, so wherever the user is they can keep track of their food freshness.
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The Benefits of Hexpirons
The Smart magnets:
-Encourage users to use food before expiration
-Be aware of their fridge contents
-Determine which foods are actually needed when shopping
-Save money
-Be inspired by new recipes from the App
-Reduce food waste
