Touchscreen fridge of the future

If you think fridges of the future will just be bigger, more efficient white boxes to keep your food cool then think again.

Designers at Haier have come up with a new touchscreen, interactive fridge which knows more about your food than you do. 

With a large, high-tech display, kitchen-goers simply tap the screen and load new items onto the fridge's database.

It can also keep track of all food stored and recognises the food you put inside it. 

The display screen is semi-transparent, allowing users to see the screen and also just about make out the food behind it.

Unique: A picture showing the touchscreen and a recipe for a blue lagoon cocktail. You can just about make out the contents of the fridge through the glass. The fridge also plays adverts if you tap on an item 

It also gives users the option to tap over an item in the fridge and play an advert relating to the product - although there are question marks over just how popular this feature would be. 

Designers at the Chinese manufacturer say the screen is good for the environment as you don't need to open the fridge to see what's inside, so the fridge doesn't need to use energy to cool itself down again.

It's been on show at the IFA consumer trade show in Berlin although there aren't any plans to bring it on the market just yet, according to cnet.co.uk

It wasn't the only eye-catching g