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Every few months it seems a company proclaims to have invented a product that will change the way everybody in the world does something regarding food acquisition. Gone are the days when a revolution was stumbling on an exotic animal while out hunting or seeing some berries different kind of berries.

What does the ikan do?

Well, this revolutionary product simply scans the UPC Code of the items you are about to throw out (hopefully after you consumed it). Revolutionary? Hardly, I have seen this type of technology for several years, usually accompanied by the latest and greatest fridge to hit the market. What is “sorta” unique is that once you scan something, instead of printing out a ticket (you can do that too btw), it that it adds this product to an online shopping cart automatically. For instance, you eat a can of beans, before throwing out the can, you scan it and now you have an online cart waiting for your money to send you the replacement for the can of beans you just ate. Think of it as a “just in time” inventory management system meets the general public.

Wait… there is more!

Going up the revolutionary scale, this product also understands voice command, as most vegetables and fruits don’t come with a UPC Code, you can simply tell this machine “Carrot” and it will add it to your online shopping list. If it doesn’t recognize it, it sends this word or description (if you don’t know what you ate yourself) to customer service to interpret your food item. This is a patented item by the way, I hope they didn’t patent writing your grocery lists on a piece of paper!

Ah, one more thing… this is environmentally friendly!

Now this feature I find rather unique, never heard of such a thing. The ikan doesn’t only record and add your food item to a shopping cart, it also tells you if the item is recyclable! Yes, if you eat a banana, it will tell you that it can be composted… how is that for redundantly cool! They also claim not buying more then you can eat (duplicate products) will save money and the environment. Although this argument is on very shaky ground, in the next paragraph, ikan says it will send you free samples with your order… which to me seems to defeat the environmentally friendly aspect of this system. I also know a banana is biodegradable and getting useless junk in the mail that ends up being thrown out (product samples) wastes time, energy and resources.

What do you need to get started?

Well, you need a wireless home network set-up, computer with internet access and a valid e-mail.

Is this needed?

Although I can see this being a benefit to those with disabilities, notably the blind, seniors and the disabled who can’t make it to a grocery store on a regular basis, I think this product is just another item that should go into the incinerator. The energy used to keep this item functioning (electricity) and simply in the production of this unit is a waste of environmental resources. It says you end up spending less then 10 minutes grocery shopping because this item does everything for you, but add in the time checking your order, “online shopping” for additional items and the cost of simply shipping the groceries to you and quite frankly, you got a HUGE new source of pollution and wasted time. Is having a plane followed by a truck to deliver your 20$ worth of groceries really smart when you can just walk down the street and get the same item (usually on sale)?

The Bottom Line

Stick to a piece of paper and pencil, it will cost less, be more environmentally friendly and best of all, get you out of the house!

References
http://www.ikan.net/
Buzzvia http://crunchgear.com/2007/06/25/ikan-is-set-to-revolutionize-your-grocery-shopping-experience/#comment-293909