Made by GE Appliances division called FirstBuild, ChillHub is a community-generated smart refrigerator. Based on the principles of Internet of Things, ChillHub refrigerator will come with two USB ports and built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. In addition, ChillHub has an open-source iOS-compatible app that provides seamless integration with the refrigerator by giving a user access to sensor data and control of the refrigerator’s components allowing for new interior accessories to be easily developed. FirstBuild says that this is a first-of-its-kind platform that enables the development of new hardware products that can operate inside a cooled space. ChillHub which is an 18 cubic foot top freezer refrigerator, will retail for $999 and can be ordered through FirstBuild.com. The company has said that limited pre-orders are being taken for early bird buyers who will get this refrigerator for $799.
“ChillHub is the infrastructure to be able to connect devices inside your refrigerator to be visualized on your smartphone and the internet,” says Natarajan Venkatakrishnan, director of GE FirstBuild. “FirstBuild’s approach to open innovation makes it possible for the online community to help us conceive and design products that people want, and speed them to market.”