Investigation of Lab-on-Spoon Low-Power Realization for Smart Kitchen and AAL Scenarios

The Institute of Integrated Sensor Systems (ISE) at Technische Universität Kaiserslautern researches the design and application of intelligent, environment-aware systems using integrated, adaptive electronics and sensors. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Andreas König, chair or the ISE, started a research path focused on the automation and optimisation of cooking and food management, related to Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AmI), Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) and general home automation. These research topics are part of the Smart Kitchen or Culinary Assistance Systems scenarios developed at ISE. Although nowadays almost all disciplines make use of technology, whether it is intensively or slightly, to enhance the performance or improve the results obtained during the course of an activity, cooking seems to be a practice anchored in the past. The main objective of Investigation of Lab-on-Spoon Low-Power Realization for Smart Kitchen and AAL Scenarios is to add an aid tool for cooking purposes using available resources, as well as serving as a record tool, introducing technology to the kitchen environment. The Lab-on-Spoon project seeks to be innovative and focus on being a low power consumption device. The scope of the overall project is too wide for single study. It is, consequently, divided in smaller portions of work, each one focusing on certain topics, to be handled and studied by several investigators. This thesis corresponds to the first stage of the development of the project, consisting in an exhaustive study of the fitting sensors, a focus on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and how to perform it while respecting the power consumption limitations, and a communication protocol to achieve data transfer between the microprocessor and the chip performing the impedance spectroscopy sweep.Outgoin