GHSP makes a (back)splash with its touchscreen concept kitchen

One of our favorite parts of any Consumer Electronics Show is getting a look at the kitchen of the future. In many ways, it’s already here, with connected ovens and voice assistants that can walk you through recipes. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t some cool concepts at CES 2019 that are still out of reach.

GHSP has created a concept backsplash that turns kitchen walls into an interactive touchscreen. The display can do a lot of the same things a smart assistant with a screen can do — play music, show you the view from your smart doorbell camera, let you add items to your shopping list — just on a much larger scale. The idea is to get one more thing off your counter — plus it looks really cool. Users would be able to customize their settings, including screensavers of sunsets or twilight skies. The control panel itself shows up anywhere you touch on the screen, whether you’re by the sink or loading the dishwasher. If there’s an area where you don’t want the display to show up — say, behind the stand mixer where you can’t reach — you can lock out certain areas of the grid.

The backsplash was also linked to a concept for a smart oven display that coordinates all the other connected appliances in one. Instead of having different interfaces for your fridge, coffee maker, and blender (yes, you can buy smart versions of all those appliances now), they all become standardized on the oven’s screen. “It harmonizes all those controls in one spot,” said Keith Mulder, GHSP’s vice president of sales. “It’s kind of like a kitchen dashboard.”

One of the more unique features of GHSP’s concept is its UV disinfection technology. Not only could it kill germs on the backsplash and countertops (a nice touch for anyone who regularly cooks chicken), it also would integrate into the refrigerator. Turn it on, and your strawberries would get a dose of UV that might give them a little longer shelf life by keeping them mold-free. Of course, all of this is conceptual, so don’t look for it in stores anytime soon. GHSP is currently looking for partners, and Mulder said availability is close to five years from now. The capacitive-touch version would also be prohibitively expensive for most people, but GHSP would also consider working with projection to bring the price down.