CES 2020: The pet wearables your dog needs

Tracking your dog’s health is about to get hi-tech with new wearables set to hit the market that chart mood, sun exposure, activity, heart rate and rest-time and more. SEE THE PRODUCTS

FROM tracking a pet’s activity to monitoring their moods, pet-tech is about to go next level with a huge range of new wearable devices set to hit the market.

Start-up innovators have showcased prototypes of their technology at the Consumer Electronics Show at Las Vegas this week.

Some of the devices offer in-depth tracking of a pet’s health that has not previously been on the market.

Here’s a peek at some of the devices set to hit the market:

CHART YOUR DOG’S MOOD:

It is one of the quirkier pet tech innovations at CES - an Inupathy wearable harness that acts as a ‘dog mood visualiser’.

Sensors in the harness analyse the pet’s heart rate to determine if it is in one of five moods - relaxed, happy, excited, stressed or concentrated.

It then lights up a module on top of the harness in a particular colour so the fur-parent knows the dog’s mood.

The battery lasts for 13 hours, with charging via a USB port.

Inupathy launched in the Japanese market in 2018 and hopes to expand it globally in the next 12 months.

The harness lights up to reveal the dog’s mood. Photo: Tanya French

THE PUPPY DOC:

It is the FitBit for dogs. A tracker attached to the collar tracks sleep quality, sun exposure, activity levels, rest-time, depression levels and barking.

JM Smart - the Korean-based company behind ‘Puppy Doc’ also plans to add location services to the tech in the near future.

The data is collected into an app and can be analysed by the fur-parent anywhere in the world - peace of mind when the pet is at the vet or being looked after by a pet sitter.

The puppy doc. Photo: Tanya French

What the puppy doc app looks like. Photo: Tanya French

MONITOR YOUR DOG’S HEALTH:

It is the fancy leather collar that has in-built tracking of a dog’s pulse rate, temperature, breathing rate, calories burned, pain/stress levels and activity levels.

And unlike many other wearable devices, this technology called ‘Pethi’ has sensors inside the collar rather than being a bulky device on the outside.

It wirelessly transmits the data via Bluetooth.

A prototype has been developed and Enside - the company behind Pethi - hopes to have it in market by the end of the year.

The Pethi. Photo: Tanya French

THE HOME ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM FOR DOGS:

GoDogo has created a home entertainment system to ease a dog’s boredom while fur-parents are out.

The system can be scheduled to start via app with a virtual instructor popping up on the TV, interacting with the dog by playing games and getting it to complete tasks like sit, lay down and come.

When the dog completes the task, the instructor gives excited congratulations and a treat is dispensed from a container located above the TV.

The instructor is seen on the TV screen. Photo: Tanya French

GoDogo is dubbed a mental workout for dogs.

GPS TRACKING:

It is the wearable for dogs and cats that tracks the location of your precious pet in real-time and has a mega battery that lasts up to 10 days.

The Tractive tracker also features location history and heatmap - so fur-parents can see where their pet has visited - plus activity monitoring, is 100 per cent waterproof and has public and family sharing so others can also check on the pet.

The Tractive device clips on to the pet’s collar. Photo: Tanya French

For escape artist dogs, the tracker also has a ‘virtual fence’ which alerts the owner immediately if it leaves a certain area.

The device weighs less than 30g and clips on to collars.

It is all tracked via an app and requires a subscription of approximately AUD$6 a month.

The devices come in different colours. Photo: Tanya French

LOCKED DOG/CAT DOOR AND FEEDER:

It isn’t a wearable but Sure Pet Care has developed microchip-controlled lockable pet doors and feeders.

The pet’s microchip (the one it would already have implanted) is programmed into the device so when the pet approaches the door or the feeder, it automatically opens.

The idea is to stop intruders via pet doors and keep food fresh.

The devices are connected to an app which allows fur-parents to get alerts when the pet goes in and out of the door or has eaten.

The door and feeder. Photo: Tanya French

Originally published as CES 2020: The pet wearables your dog needs