Amazon this morning announced a significant expansion of device partners that will support its Dash Replenishment Service – the initiative that enables connected household devices to monitor their supply levels and automatically reorder when those supplies run low.
For example, printers can reorder ink just before you run out. Your Brita water pitcher can reorder a new filter as the old one goes bad. Today, Amazon says that it has added eleven new brands to the program, including General Electric, Samsung, August, Gmate, Oster, Obe, Petnet, CleverPet, Sutro, Thync and Sealed Air.
The new partners are in addition to the much smaller handful that were already participating in the program: Brother, Whirlpool and Brita.
With the expansion, consumers will soon be able to buy things like washing machines that automatically order detergent, smart locks that send you replacement batteries, pet food dispensers that ship you new dog food, and more.
For the Dash Replenishment Service (or DRS) program to work, manufacturers create connected devices that are capable of detecting and measuring consumable usage by way of infrared sensors, scales or other mechanisms, Amazon explains. They then integrate Amazon’s DRS APIs by adding as few as 10 lines of code to their software, which allows them to connect to Amazon’s infrastructure to fulfill their customer’s orders, as needed.
For example, GE’s smart washer is an ideal candidate for this type of service. Designed to make doing laundry more of an automated experience, the washer automatically dispenses the right amount of detergent for each load, lets customers work the washer through a mobile app, tracks supply levels, and then orders more detergent when supplies are low.
DRS is the same reordering service that also powers Amazon’s consumer-facing Amazon Dash Buttons, which are the hardware dongles you can mount or hang around your home to reorder everyday supplies like paper towels, trash bags, diapers, and more.
With the new brand partners, there are a number of interesting implementations now in the works, including the above-mentioned GE high-efficiency washer; an August Smart Lock whose app will notify you to change your batteries and order them for you; a Gmate SMART Blood Glucose Meter that will reorder testing supplies; several pet food dispensers from Obe, Oster, Petnet and CleverPet that measure food and water consumption and reorders the food as needed; Samsung Laser Printers that automatically ship you new toner; a Sutro pool monitor that automatically orders pool chemicals; Thync’s de-stressing wearable that auto-orders new strips; and Sealed Air’s hand soap and hand sanitizer dispensers that automatically reorder the soap or sanitizer.
At this time, these companies have committed to launching DRS-enabled devices, but products are still arriving to market. An Amazon spokesperson confirms that the first ones will arrive later this year.