The Internet of Things has already spawned a plethora of animal-centric technologies, and Petrics is adding its own take: a smart pet bed that monitors cats’ and dogs’ weight and sleep patterns. Owners can view the data collected via a mobile app, and it can be integrated with voice assistants like the Amazon Echo and Google Home along with smart home devices like Nest. It’s demoing at the Consumer
The Internet of Things has already spawned a plethora of animal-centric technologies, and Petrics is adding its own take: a smart pet bed that monitors cats’ and dogs’ weight and sleep patterns. Owners can view the data collected via a mobile app, and it can be integrated with voice assistants like the Amazon Echo and Google Home along with smart home devices like Nest. It’s demoing at the Consumer Electronics Show industry event this week and will be rolling out to stores later this year for $100 to $300 depending on the size.
The Petrics smart bed gives owners more information about their pets’ general health by tracking how active pets are and how much they weigh. Each bed will come with an activity tracker, a waterproof collar that monitors animals as they roam about their daily lives and is also available for sale separately.
“We created the pet bed to fill a gap in pet wellness and care which is the tracking of weight on a consistent basis, and providing a system to report weight findings as well as the detection of health issues from fluctuations of the weight for early detection and intervention,” said Petrics CEO Ed Hall in an email to GamesBeat. “Currently, over 53 percent of cats and dog are overweight and obese which leads to serious medical challenges, reduced quality of life for the pets, and research has shown it can reduce the average life expectancy of pets by at least 2.5 years. And the scariest part is, most pet owners do not know their pets are overweight and most don’t know when a pet actually reaches ‘obesity’ status, outside of when their vet tells them.”
The smart bed also offers thermostatic control so owners to adjust the temperature. Along with the data from the smart bed, Petrics’s app features information about the kinds of dietary changes people can make to improve their furry friends’ health, including an index of various pet foods and details on ingredients, along with reminders for events like vet appointments.
“People forget that you may feel comfortable in your room temperature, but your dog wears a big fur coat all year around,” said Hall. “So your 75-degree house may not be too comfortable for them. This is especially true with large, long-haired dogs, moments of increased activity, and if the dog is overweight or obese. They are much more likely to have heat exhaustion or heat stroke if they can’t cool off.”
Most pets don’t care much about technology beyond laser pointers, but their owners now have access to robot petsitters, remote vet care through apps, programmable feeders, and AI-powered photo sorting. Petrics’s addition to the “pet tech” ecosystem comes in three sizes to accommodate both smaller and larger animals.
