It has come to my attention that amongst the Herok crew and friends of Herok, we have a large number of animal lovers, especially dog lovers. So today we have a feature on cutting-edge ‘electronics for dogs’ …is that what Grommit was reading about?
Some of these gadgets are still in the making, some are now available in the UK and some, I believe, never quite made it out of ‘Dragon’s Den’, but all are quite interesting ideas.
No More Woof
A Scandinavian research lab is developing a gadget that analyzes dogs’ thought patterns and translates them into English. No More Woof “uses the latest technology in micro-computing and EEG to analyse animal thought patterns and spells them out in human language using a loudspeaker. The dog-sized headset contains electroencephalogram recorders that monitor canines’ “ionic current flows,” which are sent to a small computer for “translation.” No More Woof, translates your dog’s vocalisations and behaviours, so you know why he’s barking at the door or why he won’t stop staring at you. This technology is still very much in the works; the researchers have so far uncovered only brain patterns that translate to, “I’m tired,” “I’m excited,” possibly “I’m hungry” and “Who ARE you” — all things you could probably determine without a fancy headset just by looking at your dog. :-/
Whistle
Keeping track of one’s daily activity is all the rage right now, and of course that trend has extended to our dogs. Whistle has rapidly become one of the most popular ways to track you dog’s activity 24/7. A small device that clips to your dog’s collar, it monitors and logs when he is up and about and when he’s resting. You can compare your dog’s activity to other dogs of similar breed, age and weight, find out how he ranks, and set goals for daily activity to keep him healthy. If you have deep pockets, you can buy one here.
Tidy Dog
Want your dog to put away all of his toys, without you having to put in much training time? Tidy Dog hopes to be your solution. It dispenses a treat every time your dog puts away a toy. The box has a weight sensor as well as software that determines if a toy has actually been put away or if your dog is nosing around looking for a favourite toy. It has a 30-second wait period between dispensing treats, so that your dog can’t put a toy in, get a treat, lift the toy out, drop it back in, and get another treat. It also makes it so that a dog who is really fast at cleaning up doesn’t get rewarded every time it puts a toy in. Though that might seem unfair at first, it certainly keeps the game interesting for the speedy dog since he doesn’t know when a treat is coming.
Tagg
This device started out as a simple GPS device for tracking your dog’s whereabouts via your smart phone. However, it’s become a bit more than that now. Tagg allows you to see where your dog is – especially helpful for dogs that tend to be escape artists – and also tracks activity data. The creators note that this allows owners and vets to be more proactive about a dog’s health rather than reactive. If your dog isn’t getting enough exercise, or isn’t sleeping well, you can change the habits before it leads to health problems. The device also sends you text messages right away if your dog leaves the “Tagg zone” so you know right away if your dog might be on his way to getting lost.
Petcube
Petcube is a gadget which allows pet owner to watch, talk to and play with their pets remotely, using the a web-interface or smartphone. The unit consists of a video camera, a laser pointer which can be controlled by the end user and a microcomputer which is connected to Wi-fi. The smartphone app allow users to see a video stream from the camera and interact with their pets and also to move the laser pointer dot to play with their pets. And another bonus is you can share a link online and let your friends and family play with your pet. You can also connect with other owners and play with various pets, even if you don’t have a pet!
PetziConnect
Petcube isn’t the only device that can keep an eye on your dog. The PetziConnect is a similar device. It can take HD photos and videos of your dog, as well as let you hear and talk to your pet. But instead of using a laser pointer for playing games, it has a treat dispenser so you can give your dog a surprise every so often during the day. Not quite as conducive to a healthy dog, but an interesting choice if your dog doesn’t care about laser pointers.
iFetch
If you have a smaller dog who needs more entertainment and exercise while indoors, and you don’t want to be stuck repeatedly throwing a ball for hours, then iFetch is for you. The small, round device lets your dog play fetch on his own. The dog drops a mini tennis ball into the device, and it launches it for an endless game of fetch. iFetch has three settings for distance – 10, 20 or 30 feet – so it works for any sized room or home. It runs on either battery power or a wall socket so you can place it anywhere, and it also powers on any time a ball is dropped into the launcher so your dog can start up a game whenever he wants.
Let us know if you agree or disagree with our selection or if you find something even more unusual to show us.
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