Innovations in technology are giving us the kind of capabilities that used to be more science fiction than fact. The hi tech industry continues to be exciting with the growth of 'pet tech'; it's now our pets' turn to benefit from the latest advances in technology.
Here, we look at some of the most exciting developments in wearable technology for our pets and innovative products for pet owners including GPS collars, trackers, cameras, and even 3D pet sculptures!
We never want to lose our dog so if this is something you're worried about there are a wide range of smart collars and trackers emerging on the wearable market to keep you connected to yours. Some trackers also have smart features to help keep your pet healthy too.
If you want to keep an eye on your dog's actions, GoPro has a wearable strap called GoPro Fetch for its action camera that can be worn around your dog's chest or on its back.
The harness is designed to fit dogs between 7kg and 54kg and supports GoPro Hero cameras, which sold separately. By attaching the camera you can see your dog bone chewing and digging and see overhead shots of your pooch running and jumping.
The GoPro Fetch is machine washable and rugged so you don't have to worry about your dog getting carried away in the puddles.
3D Pet Sculptures are providing people with a unique memento of their beloved pet or a gift for a pet owner. Arty Lobster helps people remember their pets by creating extraordinarily life-like 3D printed sculptures.
Arty Lobster creates the hi-tech sculptures from around ten pictures of a dog or another pet which the owner uploads to the company's website.
The result is a perfect little replica of the pet, which captures even small variations in fur colour and other characteristics.
Pod Pet Tracker, available from Pod Trackers, which is the size of a cork and weighs just 29 grams, is cylindrical and can be strapped onto a pet to track its movements. Its genesis started over a year ago, when Sebastian Langton lost his best friend in the world, Rango, 'possibly the coolest cat on the planet' and his companion through many adventures. After going through the pain of losing Rango, Seb was determined to find a way to prevent other pet owners from going through the same pain.
Seb learned that one in three pets go missing in their lifetime, which is more than ten million pets a year - and that it's preventable. The idea for Pod was born - a vision to develop the best pet tracker in the world. He and his team built a prototype, kicked off a crowdfunding campaign that raised more than $150,000 and generated massive global awareness. Now Seb and his team have come to the UK to continue to raise awareness for their mission to save pets with Pod technology.
The StickNFind is a stick on device that can be used on anything you don't want to go missing, including your pets!
The StickNFind is about the size of a 10p piece and comes with a Virtual Leash function that alerts you if your pet moves away from a set boundary. You can also use the free Radar app to track down any missing pets.
StickNFind comes in packs of two and works with iPhones, iPads and Android phones.
Voyce is a waterproof smart collar that tracks your dog's activity and monitors it's respiratory and heart rate, as well as calories burnt and rest patterns. You can also set specific goals including extra activity, which is useful if the vet has advised that your dog is overweight. Designed to keep you connected to your dog, Voyce is available in different sizes up to a 32-inch neck. The cost of Voyce is around £130 and you can find out more at mydogsvoyce.com.
If you want your dog to be able to speak to you then No More Woof could be the product for you.
This device combines 'EEG-sensoring, special BCI software reader and Micro Computing' to work out what your dog is thinking using the onboard Raspberry PI computer.
No More Woof connects to your smartphone so you can be updated on how your dog is feeling with the goal for this product being that eventually the collar will speak the information to you via a selection of voices that you can choose.
With thanks to Wearable.com for product background on Voyce and GoPro.
Marie Carter is the Editor and Publisher of Pets Magazine, a unique leading lifestyle magazine for pet owners.
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