We already know the automatic dispensers of pet food, also the games for them to entertain themselves and even a device to have their health controlled at all times. Now, with PlayDate, it goes one step further.
Do you sometimes feel guilty because you spend the day away from home and can barely spend time with your pet? Then read on because you may be interested in this new invention, which, according to its creators, will allow you to interact with your dog or cat even when you are away from it.thanks to a smart ball, which incorporates a webcam , and a mobile applicationthat you can download for free from the App Store or Google Play.
Through thewebcam of the toy, you will be able to see on your smartphone, in high definition and in real time, what your pet is doing, as well as the environment that surrounds it, andyou can direct the ball by remote control, as if you were in your house and could shoot it yourself.
As the creators of this device explain on their website,you will control the ball just like you control a video game character on your smartphone; in fact, you will find a navigation control on the left side of your mobile.
On the right, there are several buttons: one of themActivate the microphone so you can talk to your pet and hear the sounds it makes, another triggers the reproduction of a noise to cause the dog or cat to follow the ball, with the third you can take photos and the last allows you to record videos.
The toy hasa sturdy plastic outer shellso that the domestic animal can scratch it, hit it and even bite it; And even though it rolls in any direction, the camera will always stay stable so you can record what’s going on around you.
The PlayDate will help you to play with your pets, but also to communicate with them and check that they are perfectly. And you can not only use it with your smartphone,also from a computer or tablet with internet access.
Kevin Li, computer engineer and one of the creators,He came up with this smart device after adopting his dog Hulk several years ago. “Speaking with other dog owners, I realized that there was no device that could help us interact with our pets remotely,” he explains.
The commercialization of the PlayDate is plannedfrom next December, although they have previously sought funding on the website ofcrowdfundingIndiegogo for the project to become a reality, and they have already raised 119% of the 60,000 dollars (approximately 53,000 euros) that they needed for it. The PlayDate can be reserved at a price of 129 dollars (about 114 euros).
