For the privileged, the lockdown brought out our latent talents. Some discovered that they are brilliant at cooking, while others rediscovered their flare for a musical instrument. But if it was a ‘neither-nor’ situation for you, Riku can at least help you with the former. What's Riku? A product that Futuristic Labs in Hyderabad has been working on for three years now. It's an innovation that will rule your kitchen and pardon all your cooking woes. But wait, there’s more. Run out of garam masala? Riku will even inform you before you get to the end of your supply. Planning to make palak paneer, but don't have enough spinach at home? The device will tell you before it's too late. Basically, it's going to be your new best friend in the kitchen.
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Futuristic Lab, a product development lab, was started in February 2017 and its very purpose was to solve everyday problems. "One works for about eight hours a day, then there's another hour or two for commuting. Then there is the cooking but not before the prep it takes to cook, which could itself take about an hour. About half your day is gone in this. So our intention with Riku was not just to make cooking easier, but also give you back your precious time," says Founder and CEO of Goutham Gandhi Nadendla, who has been through this drill when he was studying and then working in the US. "You know how coffee-making is made so simple now, right?" he asks, rhetorically, and adds, "That's what we want to do with food."
Now imagine a device with two sections. One of them is essentially your spice rack with ten replaceable spice pods. The other section is for your perishable goods, veggies, water and so on. So after choosing a recipe from their app, which goes hand-in-hand with the device, you only need to add the chopped vegetables in the second section and let Riku do the rest. "You can even ensure all the ingredients are in place in the morning and through the app, command the device to start cooking while you are on your way back from work. This way, you can come back home to a piping hot meal," says the 33-year-old.
Remember how we told you in the beginning that Riku will be your new best friend. We stand corrected because we are told that it can be much more than that. For starters, it can be your dietitian too. It can tell you the benefits of each vegetable you consume. It can be your meal planner, suggesting recipes and even altering them to suit your palate, which it will slowly get the hang of after reading into your eating habits. And your pantry manager too! Keeping track of all that you need to stock up on.
"Most of the parts had to be high temperature-resistant so that was the toughest challenge of all," says the founder who pursued his MS in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University, USA. They are in the design validation stage currently and next month, they will deploy the device in a few houses. After the certifications come through, they plan to launch by May or June. So just five months to go before you welcome home your very own masterchef.
Riku and its capabilities
- It can adapt any recipe to suit your preferences
- ML algorithms make it a better cook with every recipe
- High precision motor control. Need we say more?
- You can stream a live feed of what's cooking inside
For more on them, check out getriku.com
