A Louisville innovation lab unveiled its latest technology today, one that will surely bring a smile to anglers near and far.
FirstBuild — the innovation arm of GE Appliances, a Haier company — has launched Steady Scope, a fish-finding tech device that uses gyro-stabilization to adjust and stabilize a transducer, allowing it to stay in the desired direction of an angler, even when their boat is moving.
The device also features a universal application that is designed to work on any type of fish finder on any boat.
“One of our engineers is an avid fisherman who knew there must be a better way to stabilize his fish-finding sonar. Because it was designed by a fisherman for all anglers, Steady Scope solves this major pain point, and we’re excited to introduce this game-changing tool,” said FirstBuild President André Zdanow in a news release.
The device is selling for $699 as a pre-order-only price. Pre-orders started Monday and will run through April 11. The device will begin to be shipped to customers in August.
As others before it, Steady Scope was the result of FirstBuild engineers working through its Co-Creation site where visitors can suggests their own ideas for the FirstBuild team to work on — or collaborate on tech that is in already in the works, as we reported back in July when the platform debuted. One of FirstBuild’s goals is to launch a dozen products or features per year.
“Really what we're trying to do is set a place where we can engage with the world at large, and we could share our product ideas or concepts or invite people out in the world to share theirs,” Zdanow said at the time.
In the case of Steady Scope, the engineers worked with “a growing fishing community,” according to a release, which included close to 2,000 anglers who offered to do beta testing. Those who were selected included professional anglers and tech experts.
As of July, FirstBuild had raised more than $4.8 million through crowdfunding efforts and developed more than 90 products since its founding in 2014. Those products have included pellet barbecue smoker for inside use and "smart mushroom fruiting chamber."
In addition to the Co-Creation platform, FirstBuild maintains a physical space at the University of Louisville’s MakerSpace venue at 333 E. Brandeis Ave.
