DIY is big, especially in the kitchen. We've recently seen the BrewBot, a device that lets you brew your own beer at home. In a similar vein comes BrewNanny, a device that supervises the fermentation rate, temperature, light, pressure and CO2, and will immediately alert you via Wifi transmitter if something is going wrong with your batch of beer. The data can be accessed from any computer or mobile device with the sensor plug checking the general brewing conditions hundreds of times per minute to make sure everything is going according to plan – if not, you'll receive a text or email letting you know it needs your immediate attention. On top of that, the BrewNanny records all the data of every batch to create a brewer profile and help you tweak the process after every brew. And, of course BrewNanny will let you share this data with all your friends and exchange experiences, tips or to just brag about having the best batch.

This is another example that suggests consumers are keen to take control of the production process themselves, and are taking advantage of the fact that we now have the technology to do just that.