ce magazine Anniversary 2019 issue

Safety features are a major draw in dog tech, but some companies are taking it one step further with
products designed for dog and human safety alike.
The FIDO vest is wearable technology designed with service dogs in mind, meant to not only
supervise your dog, but provide extra safety to humans. FIDO stands for “Facilitating Interactions
for Dogs with Occupations” and according to the creators, this vest was designed to expand what
service dogs can do (source). For instance, if a physically impaired person is in danger, their service
dog can use a tug or bite sensor on the vest to call 911. Now that‟s life-saving technology.
If you‟re looking for truly innovative, wearable, does-it-all pet safety tech, the Kyon Pet Tracker
may be your best bet. This sleek collar isn‟t even available commercially yet, making it all the more
elite. In addition to activity tracking and a built-in GPS, the Kyon has a heat sensor that sends an
alert if the external temperature is dangerously high, and a water sensor for dogs that aren‟t strong
swimmers. It even claims to sense your dog‟s mood: if the Kyon notices your dog‟s activity level is
especially low, it sends an alert to your phone reading, “I‟m not feeling well!” With a starting price
of $249, plus a $4.99/month fee to cover the cellular tracking network, the Kyon collar isn‟t cheap,
but it‟s hard to put a price on being the coolest canine tech on the bloc.
Just for Fun
What‟s the point of all this crazy new technology if we can‟t have a little fun? There are plenty of
just-for-fun apps and devices available to make life with your dog more tech-savvy
and irreverent.
If you‟re looking for a fun diversion, check out Fetch!, the app that identifies breeds based on a
picture, but is most fun for categorizing humans as dogs. Fetch! had a little trouble identifying my
pit bull mix, but it correctly identified me as a pug at heart.
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Then there’s tech-infused fashion for dogs, from a “smart harness” with a camera mount to
the DiscoDog LED vest, which lets you customize light shows and text messages to turn your
dog into a light-up billboard.
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Finally, the craziest tech advance for dogs just might be the tech advance that is a dog: Boston
Dynamics‟ robot dog, Spot. Though based on the video recently released by the design team, Spot
isn‟t about to replace real dogs. Technology is cool, but nothing beats the good old-fashioned,
analog companionship of a warm-blooded dog.
Top image via flickr/thomashawk
Elisabeth Geier is a writer, teacher, and animal advocate with extensive animal handling experience
and a soft spot for bully breeds and big orange tabbies. She shares her home with one pit bull and three
cats.
For more info, click the link below!
https://www.rover.com/blog/dog-tech-advances/
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