Lately, we have seen a few products that are designed explicitly to entertain home alone dogs. Some of the designed devices are stationary while others are mobile. However, Pupple is currently crowdfunding by combining both, the stationary and the mobile in one system.
Pupple introduced a motorized ball which is known as the Bird. It is a Wi-Fi controlled mobile component. It can be installed on both iOS and Android. No matter wherever the users are, if they have internet connectivity, they can control the ball remotely and can roll the ball across the carpet or floor for their dog to chase it. The users can watch it all in real-time with a built-in wide-angle camera that transmits the stream in 1080p with 30 fps. The transparent outer shell made of polycarbonate rolls but the camera stays stable. With the help of dual integrated infrared LEDs, the camera acts as a night vision, and the users will be able to see in the dark.
The bird can be scheduled to go out on its own if the users don’t have time to control the bird manually. It can engage the dog in play autonomously by using an artificial intelligence system. The electronics survive the drops repeatedly from staircases by utilizing its built-in shock absorbers. This whole thing is waterproof.
The battery size is 3,000 mAh. When the battery is getting low, the app notifies the user so they can move the Bird back into the Nest. The Nest is its wireless charging station. With one charge of 90 minutes, the Bird would be good to go for up to two hours of run-time.
The Treat House sits on top of the Nest, which is the mains-powered component of the Pupple. It is stationary and has its night-vision camera. It allows the user to check in on their dog. It also offers a two-way audio communications system. The audio communication system detects when the dog is whining or barking, and automatically notifies the user via the iOS/Android app. The users can then talk to the pooch, roll out the Bird for the pup to play with, or toss a treat from a built-in dispenser. The dispenser can also be set to give treats to the dog periodically. Similarly, whenever the dog is barking or whining, a recorded message from the user can be played using the audio system (i.e. “It’s alright!”).
The retail price of Bird/Nest combo is planned to be $249 while for the full Bird/Nest/Treat House package, the retail price is set to $499. While on Kickstarter, only a pledge of $165 will buy you a Bird/Nest combo and a pledge of $289 will get you a full package of Bird/Nest/Treat House. It is expected that the shipping will begin in July, 2019 assuming it reaches production.
h/t: New Atlas