FirstBuild's Smart Pitcher has water-sensing tech (pictures)
Take a tour of FirstBuild's Smart Pitcher, a sensor-packed appliance that automatically fills with water and stops when it's full.
FirstBuild is a microfactory that makes appliances.
Instead of mass producing them like a traditional factory, FirstBuild makes much smaller batches.
This allows the team to experiment with custom parts and even find things to add to existing products.
Enter, the FirstBuild Smart Pitcher.
The Smart Pitcher was one of FirstBuild's earliest concepts, initially unveiled at its grand opening on July 24, 2014.
It has two key components, the fridge and the pitcher.
FirstBuild took a GE fridge (model number GTH18GC) and fit a water dispenser attachment to it.
The dispenser has two reed switches that detect when the pitcher is there and then when the pitcher is full.
The pitcher itself is outfitted with two magnets.
When one of the magnets connects to the corresponding reed switch on the dispenser, it knows to start filling the pitcher with water.
The other magnet floats toward the top of the pitcher as it fills with water.
When it reaches the top, it makes contact with the dispenser's other reed switch and knows to stop the water.
You will be able to buy the kit and retrofit it to your GE GTH18GC refrigerator.
Or you can buy the fridge with the dispenser already installed.
Either way, you will end up with cold, filtered water without having to constantly fill the pitcher yourself.
There's no word on pricing yet, but the Smart Pitcher and the fully modded refrigerator are expected to be available for sale on Firstbuild's website later this year.