Tech to pamper pets
> There seems to be no end to our love for our furry friends, with the slew of smart devices showcased at CES
HIGH-END gadgetry showcased at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) offered ways that smart devices can improve the lives of animals and their human friends – starting with a good night’s rest.
US-based Petrics showed what it billed as the first pet smart bed, capable of keeping tabs on the pet’s weight and time spent lounging.
The soon-to-bereleased bed cools or warms to provide comfy temperatures for naps, and synchronises to activity trackers that monitor how much exercise the pets are getting so that owners get a complete daily report.
Meanwhile, an array of firms also showed off wearable devices to monitor pets on the move, aiming to consign neighbourhood ‘lost’ posters to history.
Among them was Whistle, which is up to a third-generation device equipped with GPS and mobile network capabilities.
Custom ‘safe zones’ can be set up around a home, and if the pets wander out-of-bounds, their human owners will get smartphone messages allowing them to pinpoint where their pooches, or cats, are on the map.
“If your pet gets out, it can be missing for hours or days,” said Whistle spokesperson Heather Wajer. “You can put up posters around the neighbourhood and search for it, or you can just look at your phone and see where [the animal is].”
Leaving your pet behind at home can cause anxiety both for human owner and the animal.
While home cameras that can stream feeds via the internet have been around for some time, Petcube has improved on the basic concept by introducing ‘smart’ elements.
With the help of artificial intelligence, pets’ movements in front of its camera will trigger a video call to their human’s phone, as well as a preview ‘pet selfie’ clip. Its device also comes with laser pointers, allowing people to remotely play with their furry friends if they’re getting bored, and even reward good behaviour by firing off treats during calls. Petcube co-founder and chief executive Yaroslav Azhnyuk estimated that 40 million households will be using connected pet devices by the year 2022. Meanwhile, startup Pebby is working on a ‘smart robotic ball’ with built-in camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, and laser pointer capabilities, affording more opportunities to play remotely. Cleaning your feline friend’s litter box is an unpleasant but necessary task, unless you (and house guests) are prepared to stomach a strong stench. Now, automated boxes are at hand that use sensors to detect when the animal enters and leaves the unit, before giving the litter time to clump, then sifting through it and depositing the waste into a carbon-filtered drawer. Litter-Robot sales hit new highs on Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales due to the release of a smartphone application that gets data about kitty’s daily visits to the feline loo, according to founder Brad Baxter. When animals left home alone need to get outside to take care of business, they can now do so through PetWalk pet doors – sturdy barriers that are more secure and airtight than flaps, and are automatically triggered by RFID pendants. “Everything in our lives is smart,” said Whistle’s Wajer. “If technology can help make our pets lives better, that is fantastic.” – AFP-Relaxnews