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Fuzzy-logic rice cookers are a luxury (online they range in price from $50 to more than $700), but the awe mine inspires nearly matches the quality of the rice.

by nkurz 11y ago

Fuzzy-logic rice cookers are a luxury (online they range in price from $50 to more than $700), but the awe mine inspires nearly matches the quality of the rice. Is there any inherent reason that "fuzzy-logic" rice cookers are a luxury item? I'd think that the increased cost of manufacture over a simple mechanical rice cooker would be minimal. Is it more difficult than it seems? Is the market for cheap smart rice cookers too small for anyone to bother?

emodendroket 11y ago
I mean, Zojirushi isn't passing the code out for free to anyone who wants to manufacture a rice cooker, right?
- nkurz 11y ago
  Maybe I'm underestimating, but the code seems trivial. There's lots of examples of PID control for Arduino that one could use as a staring point: https://learn.adafruit.com/sous-vide-powered-by-arduino-the-sous-viduino/time-proportional-output https://learn.adafruit.com/sous-vide-powered-by-arduino-the-... Someone who knows what they are doing could probably write rice cooking logic that works pretty well in a couple days, and a beginner (like me) could almost certainly get something working in a couple weeks. There'd always be room for refinement after that, but I can't see that the code would be a limiting factor. But likely you've hit on the real reason there isn't much competition on the low end: making an inexpensive fuzzy logic rice cooker is easy, but if it started selling well you'd probably be sued out of business for patent infringement. I now feel silly for overlooking this obvious explanation.
  - mywittyname 11y ago
    If you dissect any low-end appliance, you'll notice that they are almost always have very simple mechanics that work by mechanical physics in lieu of computing where possible. Sensors and electronics are expensive in the context of an appliance that needs to be produced for less than $3. You can make a coffee maker that can deliver water at a precise and adjustable temperature, but it's going to be a lot more complicated (thus expensive) than a cheap one that relies on a tube, a one-way valve, and the behavior of boiling water.
dragonne 11y ago
I think that the low-end market for rice cookers is already dominated by the primitive on/off models. I doubt a smart model can compete on price with a thermal switch. I'd disagree with the OP that a $50 smart rice cooker is a luxury. These models also serve as slow cookers, vegetable steamers, etc. so they are quite a value in money and space compared with buying each appliance individually. If you don't have a proper kitchen you can do most of what you need in one.

by nkurz 11y ago

emodendroket 11y ago

I mean, Zojirushi isn't passing the code out for free to anyone who wants to manufacture a rice cooker, right?

nkurz 11y ago
Maybe I'm underestimating, but the code seems trivial. There's lots of examples of PID control for Arduino that one could use as a staring point: https://learn.adafruit.com/sous-vide-powered-by-arduino-the-sous-viduino/time-proportional-output https://learn.adafruit.com/sous-vide-powered-by-arduino-the-... Someone who knows what they are doing could probably write rice cooking logic that works pretty well in a couple days, and a beginner (like me) could almost certainly get something working in a couple weeks. There'd always be room for refinement after that, but I can't see that the code would be a limiting factor. But likely you've hit on the real reason there isn't much competition on the low end: making an inexpensive fuzzy logic rice cooker is easy, but if it started selling well you'd probably be sued out of business for patent infringement. I now feel silly for overlooking this obvious explanation.
- mywittyname 11y ago
  If you dissect any low-end appliance, you'll notice that they are almost always have very simple mechanics that work by mechanical physics in lieu of computing where possible. Sensors and electronics are expensive in the context of an appliance that needs to be produced for less than $3. You can make a coffee maker that can deliver water at a precise and adjustable temperature, but it's going to be a lot more complicated (thus expensive) than a cheap one that relies on a tube, a one-way valve, and the behavior of boiling water.

dragonne 11y ago

I think that the low-end market for rice cookers is already dominated by the primitive on/off models. I doubt a smart model can compete on price with a thermal switch. I'd disagree with the OP that a $50 smart rice cooker is a luxury. These models also serve as slow cookers, vegetable steamers, etc. so they are quite a value in money and space compared with buying each appliance individually. If you don't have a proper kitchen you can do most of what you need in one.