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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.

Megan Wollerton
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1 of 16 Colin West McDonald/CNET

FirstBuild is a microfactory that makes appliances.

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Instead of mass producing them like a traditional factory, FirstBuild makes much smaller batches.

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This allows the team to experiment with custom parts and even find things to add to existing products.

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Enter, the FirstBuild Smart Pitcher.

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The Smart Pitcher was one of FirstBuild's earliest concepts, initially unveiled at its grand opening on July 24, 2014.

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It has two key components, the fridge and the pitcher.

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FirstBuild took a GE fridge (model number GTH18GC) and fit a water dispenser attachment to it.

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The dispenser has two reed switches that detect when the pitcher is there and then when the pitcher is full.

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The pitcher itself is outfitted with two magnets.

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When one of the magnets connects to the corresponding reed switch on the dispenser, it knows to start filling the pitcher with water.

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The other magnet floats toward the top of the pitcher as it fills with water.

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When it reaches the top, it makes contact with the dispenser's other reed switch and knows to stop the water.

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You will be able to buy the kit and retrofit it to your GE GTH18GC refrigerator.

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Or you can buy the fridge with the dispenser already installed.

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Either way, you will end up with cold, filtered water without having to constantly fill the pitcher yourself.

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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.

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