Does your dog look a bit, well, boring? Is its taste in fashion too safe? If so, and you’d like to make sure it stands out in the pooch world, then Disco Dog is exactly what you want. Sadly, it’ll probably be the last thing any shy and retiring dog will want to be seen wearing. Shame your dog doesn’t get much of a say about these things, really.
Disco Dog is a neoprene vest studded with 256 RGB LED lights, which are controlled using a smartphone app, and can be programmed to display colorful messages, patterns, and animations. What’s more, should your dog try to escape the limelight (and presumably go and hide in shame) a “lost dog” mode is activated — and the words Lost Dog” flash on the coat — when it’s out of range.
There’s even an app for messing around with the messages displayed on Disco Dog’s coat. You can change the pattern and animation or set an alarm — in case the dog wasn’t enough of a spectacle already. The coat has its own battery pack, but it’s not clear how long it’ll last before it needs a recharge, plus all the electronics and LEDs can be removed so you can wash the jacket.
At the moment, Disco Dog is a Kickstarter project, but there are only 80 of the coats being made, and they’re priced between $300 and $400, depending on the size of your dog. If you’re feeling very flush, you can work with the team to create your own custom-made Disco Dog coat for $2,500.
More art project than serious business idea, the Disco Dog team will hold a pop-up launch event in New York in the near future, where dogs of all shapes and sizes will parade around in the vests. However, if the support is there, and the coat proves popular enough, then Disco Dog could get a larger scale release later on.
