Wearables are still to make a strong impact in the human market, but manufactures have opened new revenue streams for the four-legged.
CBR puts together a list of the five most high tech pets’ wearables, which could call for discussion on animals’ data privacy.
1. No More Woof
Claimed to be "the first device to translate animal thoughts into human" the wearable is placed on the head of your pet to translate canine brainwaves into words.
The device is being developed by the Nordic Society for Invention and Discovery.
The society said it found speech patterns on dogs including "I’m Tired", "I’m excited" and possibly "I’m Hungry" and the clearly intense brain activity when a dog sees a new face, that we translate into: "Who ARE you?".
The technology used in No More Woof is the result of combining the latest technologies in three different tech-areas, EEG-sensoring, Micro Computing and special BCI software.
2. G-Paws
Suitable for dogs, cats and any other four-leg friends, the G-Paws is a GPS tracking system that records all the animal’s moves.
Owners can access the data at G-Paws.com, and integrate their account with other social network platforms.
The collar records for eight hours and includes a motion sensor so it only records whilst the pet is on the move to increase the battery life.
The platform will display the routes on aerial photography or street level mapping after the owner transfers the records to the website via USB.
3. Silent Herdsman
With the world’s population significantly increasing whilst food resources decrease, Silent Herdsman is a solution to keep track of cows and heifers health in the smart farm.
It continually monitors a cow’s activity and automatically detects changes in normal behaviour, indicating patterns related to estrus, eating and rumination, according to the manufacturer.
The automated collar builds a profile of the cow by recording data. This eliminates the need for humans to physically carry health checks on the animals, reducing costs and increasing fertility, milk yield and operational efficiency.
Detection of estrus and other health-related conditions is automated using the company’s proprietary Artificial Intelligence module. The device talks to a main system wirelessly.
4. Motorola Scout5000
The era of the smart-collar has not picked up yet, but that could soon change. Motorola entered the race releasing the Scout5000.
The 3G wearable communicates via wifi and Bluetooth, and has a built-in 720p streaming video camera that can stream to their owners smartphone.
The collar also includes a speaker and microphone so dogs and owners can talk to each other. The Motorola Scout5000 also tracks the animal’s location.
The solution was developed using Hubble’s IoT PaaS.
5. Fitbark
With one-size fits all approach, the Fitbark can be used from a Chihuahua to Great Dane.
The device is placed on the animal’s collar and has a built-in 3-axis accelerometer sensor.
With a battery life of up to 14 days, the unit works on devices with Bluetooth 4.0 (Bluetooth Smart) running iOS 7 and above.
It tracks the animal’s health and can even tell if he or she is having a depressive time. The Fitbark also compares the pet’s behaviour to others of the same breed to let owner’s distinguish what is normal and what is unusual.