GE Appliances, a Haier company, formally launched its Kitchen Hub, a smart home command center for the home at the 2019 International Builders’ Show (IBS) this week.
The unit provides a 27-inch touchscreen and a four-speed, adjustable 600 CFM ventilation system above the range. It also includes forward- and downward-facing cameras so consumers can conduct live video chat with friends and family over the Internet and show what’s cooking on the stove top.
“That allows you to do some video chatting, have some social cooking, call grandma on the weekends and catch up with her or, better yet, have grandma help you out with that recipe that you just can’t quite get right that she used to make when you were a kid,” Shawn Stover, vice president of SmartHome Solutions at GE Appliances, said at IBS.
The pre-installed recipe app enables consumers to search 5,000 filterable and searchable recipes, according to Stover.
Because the product is voice-enabled by Google Assistant, consumers don’t have to take their attention away from their culinary creations. Through voice commands the Kitchen Hub can access apps for recipes, dinner music, streaming movies, and social networking.
With Wi-Fi connectivity, the Kitchen Hub enables owners to monitor and maintain their home remotely, as well, using their mobile device. Powered by its U+ Connect operating system, the Kitchen Hub can connect with and control other GE smart home appliance and external applications, such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Amazon Dash Replenishment, Nest Labs, and more.
GE Appliances’ Kitchen Hub will commercially launch in May 2019 in stainless steel, black stainless, matte black, and matte white.