Why should getting food out of your refrigerator be as dull as it currently is?
My brand new, and totally practical, concept for home chilling of foods combines all the food preservation qualities of the modern ice box, with all the fun of those annoying little grabby claw machines that you get at amusement arcades that don't seem to be able to 'quite' grab the item you're after.
This new and exciting fridge won't take up any more space in your kitchen than an existing single width fridge (double width fridge freezer combo units available later this year). The base contains all the regular fridgey things required to make your stuff cold, whatever they may be, and extends to slightly above waist height, where a small joystick protrudes, next to two buttons.
The rest of the space is occupied by a large glass cuboid, which is opaque for the vast majority of the time, until the first of the two buttons is pressed and the electrochromic glass that the cuboid is made of becomes transparent as the internal lighting is activated.
It is now possible to view all of your chilled groceries, helpfully piled in the center of the fridge, and the three-axis claw grabber mechanism suspended above them. Simply use the joystick to position the claw above your intended foodstuff, press the second button to lower the claw, and hope that you've got a good enough grip for the claw to deposit the item in the dispensing chute when it auto returns to it's starting position.
-- kaz, Jan 09 2020

https://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Real_20Fruit_20Machine#1096876634 Real_20Fruit_20Machine
Similar [8th of 7, Jan 13 2020]

Nice idea - your diet will quickly shift towards those foodstuffs that are easy to grab
-- hippo, Jan 09 2020


More accurately, foodstuffs in packaging that is easy to grab.
-- 8th of 7, Jan 09 2020


Wouldn't be so good for eggs
-- chronological, Jan 09 2020


That would rather depend on the design and construction of the gripper mechanism, and the receiving chute - eggs are quite strong.
-- 8th of 7, Jan 09 2020


Will I need quarter dollar coins to operate it? That factor could help with my weight loss plans.
-- normzone, Jan 13 2020


A contactless near-field reader would be simpler and cheaper.

Or you could use the quarters, and turn the machine into a one-armed bandit; low yield wins are soy milk, kale, cottage cheese or kiwi fruit - match three reels and get a chocolate bar ...

Also <link>
-- 8th of 7, Jan 13 2020


That should have been half-baked properly, [8th]
-- Voice, Jan 14 2020


Then do it ...
-- 8th of 7, Jan 14 2020



random, halfbakery