The theory behind the towers (as opposed to just mixing the cold water with the grounds all at once then letting the mixture sit) is that the dripping slows the extraction, changing the concentration profile of the extracted flavors. I’m not sure how pronounced the difference is, if at all. The idea is an old one, for example the Filtron cold brewers have a water compartment that drips the water into the coffee compartment through a pinhole. (Filtron has been around for a long time, certainly since the 50s when they were distributed by Helmco-Lacy, who made soda fountain equipment.)
The idea of controlling the dripping by microprocessors seems odd to me; one of the cool things about these towers is the way the drip is slowed down by mechanical means.
