My friends and I have this thing where we take turns hosting dinners at our houses. I think most of us can relate that the most annoying thing is when someone keeps popping into the kitchen to ask if dinner’s ready because they’re starving. Something that can help along these lines is the Smart Apron.

It’s basically an apron that lets people know when you’ve started cooking and when you’re already finished, as signaled by when you put the apron and when you take it off. The Smart Apron makes use of wireless XBee radios hooked to Lilypad Arduinos to alert diners on the status of dinner (or lunch) by sending notifications to smartphones, tablets, or desktops that are following the cook’s progress.

The Smart Apron isn’t available commercially yet, although it’s an interesting concept that shows how technology can be embedded into household items for increased efficiency and convenience.

VIA [ Dvice ]