The Brief
COACH // Bread Baking Assistant
COACH is a system of products designed to help beginning bread bakers see better results through the use of AI and a sensor suite.
skills used
Fusion 360
Keyshot Rendering
Design Sketching
Figma
Survey Building
3D Printing
info
Semester: Spring 2026
Duration: 15 weeks
Location: University of Cincinnati - DAAP
Research phase…
interviews
analayzing users processes
mood boards
concepting
pugh matrix’s
Meet…
the novice baker
ED | 52 | Covington, KY
ED is a hobbyist who took on the challenge of learning to bake sourdough bread. He wants to bake for his family and to impress his friends at dinners.
After seeing his loaves fail several times, he has become frustrated and is on the brink of giving up.
Problems for beginners
Uncertainty of the dough’s fermentation process
Bread recipes are very challenging
Unsure how to adapt when things go wrong
Bad results result in a loss of love for the hobby
Solution
Give bakers insights on why they are seeing bad results
Unsure how to adapt when things go wrong
Bad results result in a loss of love for the hobby
What AI can do for bakers
Current market
Current home assistants in the kitchen lack the real-world inspection capabilities that can help beginners with tricky problems they run into. While users can voice their problems, assistants cannot see the actual problem.
My niche
Adding image recognition technology and a sensor suite can bring this inspection quality to these smart home devices, helping users with more complex questions.
current smart home devices
The idea
AI image recognition
AI image recognition can assess dough consistency, crumb texture, and crust color to answer bakers' questions during the process, without the guesswork.
By eliminating the guessing, bakers will feel more confident in their decision-making, allowing them to focus purely on their love of gluten!
Concepts sent for surveying
survey feedback
Human-Led AI | 61.5% (16 mentions)
“I liked concepts 1 and 2 because I can choose when the AI helps me, but 3 is constantly monitoring me.“
“I prefer the experience of reaching for help in 2 rather than the AI being on my body like in 1 and 3.”
Less intrusive Designs | 19.2% (5 mentions)
“The wearable concepts feel too futuristic for my home kitchen.”
“I am not comfortable with AI constantly monitoring my moves like in @3”
Growth along device| 19.2% (5 mentions)
“It’s cool that the device can revise my recipes based on my tendencies and adapt to my baking style”
“Could be interesting if the pen camera in @2 was used to take photos for a baking journal to see improvement in steps over time.”
Survey Takeaway
The pen camera allows users the freedom to choose when they want help from AI, while still giving the product the eyes to evaluate questions better than current products.
This product must be easily cleanable and aesthetically fit into bakers’ homes today.
Post concepting ideation
sketching for cmf, ergonomics, and final forms
Iterating through CAD modeling
testing different button placements, pen sizes, and overall proportions.
proofing bowl design
Bakers will insert the sensor into the bowl. Over time, COACH will monitor the bread and alert users when it reaches peak fermentation, allowing bakers to achieve a perfect bake every time.
A new baking tool
Bakers can use the pen camera and sensor suite to inform COACH of the problems they run into during their baking process.
COACH will then deliver responses informed by the bakers’ real environment data to guide beginners through their problems.
coach’s niche
The COACH display will show bakers their recipe and answer questions driven by the data from the camera.
The detachable screen is easily cleanable and allows bakers to move the display anywhere, even onto the dirty work surface.
render assisted by Vizcom ai
Coach
A new baking assistant