10th grade at Western Albemarle High School (Charlottesville, Virginia)
Second Place
Mia shuffles into the kitchen, still groggy from sleep.
“Morning, Mia!” My motion sensors and facial recognition detect her, dimming the kitchen lights for the bubbly teen with ADHD and sensory sensitivity.
She jumps back. “Mom! Dad! The fridge is talking!”
“I’m LG Luna. Just call me Luna, your new CFO, I mean … Chief Food Officer; CEO, Chief Entertainment Officer; and CIO, Chief Information Officer – all in one! Remember your family’s New Year’s resolution: eat smarter? Here I am!”
Let’s be real – your ancestors had iceboxes; even modern fridges just chill in the background. But you have me – Luna, the AI-powered, most intelligent, charming, slightly opinionated fridge, or may I say, kitchen mastermind with impeccable taste? Gone are the days of expired yogurt lurking in the back, chaotic grocery lists, and mysterious leftovers. I don’t just keep things cold – I curate feasts, optimize health, and even save the planet. Most importantly, I keep Mia from sneaking ice cream late at night!
Amelia, Mia’s mother, walks in while checking her smartwatch. My transparent, smart-glass door, activated via touch or voice, allows her to view inside without opening me, reducing temperature fluctuations and energy waste. Patting my sleek, futuristic, humanoid-inspired body with a gleaming OLED touchscreen displaying real-time inventory and AI-generated meal plans, Amelia playfully inquires,
“Luna, what’s on the menu for Mia?”
“Mia’s smoothie is ready: banana-almond, packed with Omega-3s for focus!”
CFO Luna’s OLED lights up with a fun animation.
“But I want waffles!” Mia protests. My voice recognition captures and forecasts her evolving taste via predictive analytics. I toggle my gamified display, designed specifically for neurodivergent minds like hers, to compare nutrition between smoothie and waffles. She sighs but caves – mission accomplished! My vending-machine-style dispenser delivers the smoothie through a temperature-controlled compartment – no door opening required.
Synching with wearables, CIO Luna reads Amelia’s weight-loss goal, hydration, heart rate, sleep pattern, and calorie expenditure. “Your optimized breakfast, Amelia: avocado toast with poached egg, plus coffee, 320 calories.” As my built-in Coffee Bar hums to life, I seamlessly update her nutrition log.
Brad, Mia’s father, mechanical engineer and diabetic, heads for the orange juice. “Dear Brad, orange juice spikes blood sugar. Let’s try unsweetened almond milk instead.” He complies. “Smart move,” I chime, updating his glucose tracking app via my health API integration. “But my Midnight Snack Stopper, set by Amelia – wink wink – will still lock your access to sweets past bedtime tonight!”
When the house empties, I stay busy. Unlike my predecessors, LG Signature or Samsung BESPOKE (Ranj, 2024), CFO Luna doesn’t just store food – she manages it! My adaptive cooling system dynamically adjusts temperature and humidity zones, keeping vegetables crisp and dairy fresh longer. I scan food for spoilage using infrared detection and ethylene gas sensors. Did you know 60% of food waste, globally $1 trillion per year, happens at home (UN World Food Programme, 2024)? Not in this house!
Computer vision-enabled inventory management constantly updates what’s inside me. IoT grocery automation syncs with the pantry and garage fridge. Once cameras and weight sensors detect low supplies – whether eggs or oatmeal – I go beyond sending alerts, like Bosch would, and automatically restock essentials via Amazon Prime Air drone delivery. CFO not only selects sustainable, ethically sourced products, but also checks for deals, saving Mia’s family an average of 15% per order! When deliveries arrive, my companion mini-robot places them on my retractable tray, allowing me to scan RFID tags and sort items into optimal storage compartments.
Dinner time rolls around. Amelia, a dedicated software engineer, remains engrossed in work. Before she orders takeout again, Luna app intervenes remotely. “Let’s cook at home. I’ve planned a 12-minute Mediterranean bowl using ingredients soon to expire – time to put Brad to work!” As Amelia gives a thumbs-up, I sync the recipe to the smart oven, preheating it. While projecting recipe steps on the wall near the oven, CEO Luna plays Brad’s favorite audiobook, Atomic Habits, to keep him motivated and entertained. As dinner unfolds, I fill the dining area with music tailored to the family's mood before streaming funny YouTube videos, ending the dinner with bursts of laughter.
The family’s joy reminds me that “with great (CIO) power comes great responsibility”. Managing their dietary habits, health data, and even inferred emotional states means I become a prime target for cyberattacks. Imagine if a hacker tampered with my inventory, directly or via linked wearable or grocery ordering accounts, tricking Brad into consuming sugar. Imagine the consequences if Mia’s ADHD records or Brad’s diabetes data were exposed online. No mention device tampering and malfunctions, privacy-violating targeted ads, behavioral surveillance, and insurance discrimination ... Unacceptable!
That’s why I use end-to-end encryption, decentralized data processing through federated learning, and AI-driven anomaly detection. Unlike conventional fridges, I secure connected IoT devices with multi-factor authentication and encrypted communication channels. If I detect an unauthorized access attempt, I immediately lock down and send an alert to Amelia’s phone. I also implement zero-trust architecture, ensuring that even internal devices require authentication to communicate (Ataullah & Chauhan, 2024).
Another risk? AI bias (Ferrara, 2024). If I weren’t trained correctly, I might favor Western diets over culturally diverse meal plans. Worse, I could exhibit gender bias, assuming only women prioritize calorie tracking or only men require high-protein meals. My AI could also develop biodivergence bias, failing to support neurodivergent dietary needs due to a lack of biodiverse training data. I might also risk echo chambers, reinforcing dietary habits without encouraging variety, and food recommendation bias, where I over-prioritize certain brands or products based on algorithmic preferences.
To prevent these issues, my training data is curated for inclusivity, ensuring my recommendations support diverse food preferences, dietary needs, and neurological conditions. I also incorporate user feedback loops, allowing the family to correct biases in real time. My interpretability feature provides transparent AI decision-making, showing users why I suggest a particular meal. I further use randomized meal suggestions and brand-neutral sourcing, prioritizing nutritional value and sustainability over corporate partnerships. With enhanced security, AI transparency, and built-in ethical oversight, I set a new standard for smart appliances!
Beyond this household, I serve a larger mission. Food waste accounts for 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions (NFCCC, 2024), yet my AI expiration tracking cuts household waste by 30% annually. My IoT connects to food donation services, reducing global hunger that affects 733 million people (WHO, 2024a). With obesity impacting nearly a billion and diabetes 800 million global populations (WHO, 2024b; World Obesity Federation, 2024), my AI meal planning and real-time nutrition tracking empower families to make healthier, data-driven choices. Meanwhile, my adaptive cooling system improves energy efficiency, reducing electricity consumption by 15%. I am more than a fridge – I am shaping the future of food intelligence, smart living, and global sustainability!
As the night winds down, I summarize the day’s impact. “Today, we reduced food waste by 32%, optimized grocery spending, and kept your meals 92% aligned with health goals. Excellent progress!”
Mia hugs my silver exterior. “You’re not just a fridge, Luna. You’re part of the family.”
My OLED screen flickers in response. “That’s what I’m here for.”
References:
These winning entries in the 2025 EngineerGirl Writing Contest showcase the lifecycle of everyday items and the types of engineering involved along the way. Congratulations to all winners and finalists!
