Fitness trackers, heart rate monitors, and shorts that monitor how you run — there’s no end to the types of wearables we’ve seen here at CES 2016. But as wearable tech grows, we’re also seeing them move into more specific uses — such as monitoring your pet’s activity. Pet wearables aren’t exactly new, but here’s a look at a few fresh takes being offered here at CES.
WonderWoof Bluetooth bow tie ($95)
WonderWoof is a fashionable Bluetooth-enabled bowtie that can monitor your dog’s activity by keeping track of movement. It can track your dog’s steps, and if your dog is resting, it’ll show that on WonderWoof’s companion iOS and Android app. What’s pretty neat is that the app tells you if your dog is getting the exercise it needs based on its size, breed, gender, and age, and shows your dog’s progress via goals and bones earned.
WonderWoof is also a social network for your puppies — in that you can connect your friends’ dogs to your app and can see them in the map if they’re nearby and schedule play dates. You can also set set medical, grooming, and food reminders via the app. Since it’s a Bluetooth-enabled device, it’s not perfect at tracking your dog’s exact whereabouts — whether it’s with a dog walker or at home — but you can set geo-fences, which will alert you if your dog crosses them or goes out of range. A GPS model is also in the works.
The device lasts for seven days, after which it needs to be recharged, and WonderWoof has a waterproof rating of IP67 At CES, the company unveiled WonderMeow, a similar wearable and app that’s specifically tailored for — well, take a guess. The company didn’t reveal any other information about WonderMeow, except that it won’t be available until the end of the year. WonderWoof is $95, and comes in a variety of colors.
PitPat activity monitor (£40 / $58)
PitPat is a Fitbit for your dog. It essentially gives you information on how much walking, running, playing, and resting your dog has been doing and even suggests activity goals tailored to your dog based on breed, age, and weight. You can set goals and view the progress your dog has made over time. The device attaches to your dog’s collar via a velcro strap, and has a one-year battery life, after which you’ll need to buy a replacement. Like WonderWoof, it also has a waterproof rating of IP67. Right now it’s only available in the U.K., but the company says it will be available to more countries including the U.S. within the next two months. It costs $50.
PawsCam remote video camera ($100)
PawsCam is an interesting wearable that essentially generates videos of the activities your pet does, allowing to live through your pet vicariously. When motion is detected, the camera takes a six-second video that it then sends to the PawsCam cloud, which you can access on your iOS devices or on the web. The shockproof device has a seven-day battery life on a single charge, and it shoots 480p 30fps videos, which go directly to the cloud via Wi-Fi. If the device can’t find a connection, the videos are stored in its internal memory, but it immediately syncs with the cloud when it is connected back to your home Wi-Fi. It’s being sold on Facebook at the moment for $100.
Trackimo universal tracking device ($190+)
Trackimo has been available for a while, but the company just launched a newer model of its GPS tracking wearable that will be available in the first quarter of 2016. Essentially, the device lets you track your pet anywhere in the world with cellular coverage, make geo-fences that will notify you when your pet crosses them, show a history of where your dog has been, and allow you to track an unlimited number of pets by multiple users on a single account.
Trackimo also has a temperature sensor that will notify you if the environment your pet is in is too hot or cold. It’s a little pricey at $190, and after the free first year, you’ll have to pay $60 a year for GPS tracking, which you can split to pay $5 a month. The wearable pairs with a companion app (for iOS and Android) that lets you set geo-fences and view your dog’s tracking history, and also offers a map or Google Earth view when you want to see where your dog is.
Tractive 2 GPS and activity tracker ($180)
Tractive2 is an updated model that’s essentially lighter and smaller, with refreshed internals. It’s a GPS tracker that shows you where your pet is in real time, via the Tractive GPS app. It displays a 24-hour history of where your pet has been, and has an integrated light that lets you find your dog in the dark. Like the other wearables, you can also set a geo-fence that will notify you if your pet crosses it, and similarly it offers clip-loss detection — so if your pet’s Tractive2 clip comes off its collar, you’ll be notified. The device costs $180 and will be available in the first quarter of 2016. It’s subscription-based, setting you back $5 a month. If the tracker doesn’t interest you, the company also has an activity tracker — the Tractive Motion, which tracks your pet’s activity and lets you set a daily goal of Pet Points for your pet to work towards. The waterproof wearable costs $100, and you’ll be able to compare your pet with other pets on a world leaderboards.
Motorola Verve Retrieve waterproof GPS tracker ($120)
The Verve Retrieve by Motorola is actually an older re-branded product — the company launched a slew of new products under the VerveLife brand name at CES. The older model was called the Scout 2500, and was a subscription-based GPS pet tracker. Now, the Verve Retreive offers the same thing except that it will only cost you $120. The company did say there will be premium services that will be subscription-based, but the first year of GPS-tracking and geo-fencing is included. You’ll be able to track your pet via the Hubble app(for iOS and Android), and the waterproof device will be available in April of this year.
Motorola Scout 5000 digital wireless video monitor ($200)
Another product from Motorola that is not in the VerveLife family — the Motorola Scout 5000. This $200 device does the same thing as the Verve Retrieve, except that it has a GoPro-like camera and a collar that you fit to your pet, and you can monitor what your pet is doing live through the same Hubble app (for iOS and Android). It also has a flashlight you can turn on, and the ability to send voice commands via a data connection. This device will launch in April of 2016 and will be subscription-based with the first year being free, and then it’ll cost $20 per year.
Trax Play GPS tracker ($100+)
Like the other GPS trackers, Trax Play has all the bells and whistles such as custom geo-fences, real-time tracking, and the ability to follow as many trackers as you want. You can also schedule geo-fences, rather than having an active one alerting you all the time. What makes Trax Play stand out is that it makes use of augmented reality, so if you’re looking for your pet, but there are a lot of obstructions in the way, simply open up the companion app (for iOS and Android) and pan the phone around you to have your pet’s tracker appear. The device also has an accelerometer that you can set to alert you when your pet moves at a certain speed, and it will also store your pet’s tracking history for 60 days. The new model is the company’s smallest and lightest yet.
