Through the years, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has brought us a number of mind-bending tech innovations that have enhanced the way we experience and interact with all facets of life. In fact, most aspects of average residential living have received some kind of love from the ingenious developers showcasing life-changing possibilities at the renowned expo. Even the lives of our pets have received some incredible advancements.
At CES 2022, pet tech was front and center from a handful of renowned vendors, and we’re excited about what’s coming for the world of our four-legged friends. From our eager hearts and minds to yours, here’s a guide to some of the most jaw-dropping breakthroughs in pet technology that we spotted this year.
Smart collars
There’s no denying that our pets simply cannot speak our language. Sure, they do their very best to communicate with us through the sounds they’re able to produce and whatever body-talk they can muster, but don’t we want more? After all, it would be great to gain some deeper insight into what’s going on inside the minds and bodies of the creatures we cherish most.
That’s where products like Catlog come into play. Designed by Rabo Inc., the Catlog smart collar uses weight-sensing tech to analyze your cat’s daily motions. This can be anything from sleeping and sitting still to washing paws and taking a drink from the water bowl. Using focus points like pet vibrations and movements, your cat’s motions are synced to the Catlog’s web-connected hub, which then draws up a detailed report of all the activity your cat has been up to in a day.
Invoxia also made some noise at the show with the announcement of a smart collar for dogs. Building upon the Catlog premise, Invoxia’s pooch harness will monitor your dog’s location, heart rate, and respiratory status.
Sure, a visit to the vet is the tried-and-true approach when dealing with canine and feline health troubles. But with smart collar monitoring, getting ahead of a heart or lung issue is a great way to get on top of any type of trouble before it becomes a significant issue for your companion.
Health-monitoring wearables
Going beyond the confines of a collar, CES exhibitors also showcased a number of products that our companions will be able to wear in some form. One such innovation comes to us from the minds at ITRI, and it’s called iPetWear. A smart module that can be clipped to your pet’s collar or stored in a pet bed, iPetWear uses micro-physiological radar sensors to monitor the heart rate, respiration, and overall activity of our dogs. Once data is collected, the info is beamed to the pet owner’s mobile device via Bluetooth and is viewable through the iPetWear app.
For an estimated cost of $80, iPetWear purchasers receive the iPetWear module, a specialized collar, and access to the company’s mobile app.
We also love this incredible, psychological health monitor for pooches. Known as Inupathy (developed by Langualess), this wearable backpack will be able to detect a number of mind-based conditions that our dogs may be going through. Notice that Rover is behaving a tad abnormally? Throwing an Inupathy pack on him may not necessarily reveal the inner workings of his brainwaves, but it could give you a better idea as to what you can do to calm his fears.
The PurrSong suite
It can be difficult to gauge exactly how our cats are feeling on a daily basis. Not to mention that felines are particularly skilled at hiding away health troubles, and sometimes until it’s too late. Thankfully, companies like PurrSong know exactly what to expect when caring for a kitty and have developed a family of products to help us out.
The three main items are the LavvieBox, LavvieWater, and LavvieTAG. The LavvieBox is a smart litter box that monitors your cat’s bathroom visits, reporting on your feline’s weight and the nature of their visits. Criteria is captured and then beamed to the PurrSong mobile app for the owner’s reference. The LavvieWater is an automatic water dispenser that tracks your cat’s water consumption and sends collected data to the PurrSong app. Then there’s the LavvieTAG, a live fitness sensor that tracks your cat’s walking, running, sleeping, and eating habits.
Pet geofencing
Tired of your dog jumping on the living room couch? Wagz Tagz is a great way to keep him off. Connectable with Wagz’ Freedom Smart Dog Collar ($249), the Wagz Tagz acts as a geofencing barrier for your pooch. When the Freedom collar detects the nearby presence of the Tagz accessory, the collar emits a humane shock warning to the harness, indicating to Rover that it’s time to get off the furniture.
Boundaries are adjustable from 3 to 15 feet, and the setup is a quick process that can be handled by both iOS and Android devices. The Tagz device will be available in March 2022.
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