Top Tech for Dogs from Global Pet Expo 2015

Top Tech for Pets from Global Pet Expo 2015 on www.barkandswagger.com
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Yes, I discovered fashion galore at Global Pet Expo 2015, but that wasn’t all! It was also a tech-lover’s dream with some of the newest gadgets to keep Fido fit, safe, healthy and happy. Here’s the top tech for dogs that stood out from the pack:

 

Top Tech for Pets from Global Pet  Expo 2015 on www.barkandswagger.com

The Motorola Scout 5000

Motorola is stepping up their game with an array of high tech products allowing us to watch, train and contain our pets. The Scout 5000 is a remote pet collar with an integrated wide-angle camera. While its brand new and quite large, leaving out dogs under maybe 25 or 30 lbs, it is worth noting for its ahead of the curve technology and sleek design. The technology runs off of a platform called Hubble, described as an “Internet of Things (IoT) Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS).” This means it can handle voice over IP (VoIP, so, voice information sent over a network), video streaming and cloud-recording. Here are its capabilities:

  •  GPRS/Wi-Fi® connectivity, with GPS real time tracking. One year of free service is included.
  • a remote HD (720pixel resolution) live video streaming of what your pet sees and is doing (this is only available on devices capable of displaying 720p). It comes with a 130-degree wide angle camera.
  • A free Hubble App for easy set up
  • Wander alert, so when your pet goes outside of the designated area, you receive an alert on your smartphone, tablet or computer
  • Bark detection and notifications. When your dog barks, you’re alerted.
  • Pet activity monitoring pedometer, showing what your pet is doing or not doing.
  • A push to talk function. How amazing is that? There is a microphone included, so you can push a button to listen and talk back to your dog. A very handy function if your dog is about to get himself into trouble.

This was by far the most sophisticated tech product I saw, and the $200 price tag reflects that. Motorola will be selling a smaller model, the Scout 2500, for about half the price that excludes the camera and is better suited to smaller dogs. These two models join a range of other connected pet monitoring systems including the Scout 1500, a motion-sensitive web camera that includes a microphone, and the Scout 66, another Hubble-connected device.

 

Top Tech for Pets from Global Pet  Expo 2015 on www.barkandswagger.com

The Pod Trackers

A very charming Australian named Sebastian Langton lost his beloved cat, Rango, two years ago and never got to say goodbye. For him, it was a sad ending; Rango got hit by a car. That devastation was the impetus to develop Pod Trackers, the smallest GPS tracking device in the world. In Rango’s case, having a Pod Trackers on would’ve allowed Sebastian to find him, hold him and properly say goodbye.

The device is, indeed, shaped like a pod, round and sleek. Langton tried it on his two kittens, and he said it looked like a little rocket pack, which it kind of does. Its smooth shape, when worn under the neck on a collar, allows cats and small dogs to groom themselves without the discomfort of square-shaped trackers. Another important feature of the unique shape, says Sebastian, is that the strapping mechanism is able to ratchet tightly against the pet’s collar, so the Pod Trackers doesn’t wobble around.  Pod Trackers comes with an extra battery, so while you’re charging one, the other on the device, on your pet’s neck, where it needs to be. Each battery lasts about four days. If your pet goes missing, you simply go into the Pod Trackers app, press the Locate Now button and there you have it. Other features include:

  • Real time GPS tracking
  • Perimeter alerts when your pet breaches the property, you get a notification on your smartphone.
  • An activity tracker like a FitBit
  • A GPS-based activity tracker to track the adventures of your pet. With outdoor cats, this is especially handy to see what they’ve been doing on their escapades.
  • It looks super cool when you turn it on. Three bars of different colored lights come up; one for the battery charge; one for the cell phone reception and one for the GPS.
  • Weighs just under one ounce and is about the same size as a wine cork.
  • Completely waterproof
  • The Pod mobile app will run on the following devices:
    – Apple iOS version 6 +
    – Coming soon – Android version 4.3 + (4.1 and 4.2 will run the app, but does not support Bluetooth Low Engery)
    – Coming soon – Windows Phone

I asked Sebastian if it had blue tooth capabilities, and he explained that it has blue tooth but doesn’t run off of it, so it’s not limited by blue tooth technology. This device works in 175 countries around the world. As he put it, “I could be sitting on a beach in Tahiti, and find out if my dog is in the backyard. I’m in the U.S. right now, and I can tell you my cats are still at home.” As a pet lover and parent, Sebastian thought about what pet parents would need. It was clear this is a very personal journey for him; we get to come along for the ride and the benefits, too. Cost is $186.95.

 

Top Tech for Pets from Global Pet Expo 2015 on www.barkandswagger.com

 

G-Paws Track III

This is a for-fun activity tracker for pet parents who want to see what their pets are doing and where they’ve been. The device links with the g-paws.com site, which also has a social aspect set up for us to engage with other pet parents. Here are the features:

  • A high-sensitivity GPS chip with flash memory to record the movements of the animal wearing it.
  • For runner and cyclers, G-Paws will be familiar as its based along the lines of a Map My Run, Strava or Garmin Connect.
  • See where your pet has been on an aerial or street level mapping.
  • See other G-Paws animals you’re pet is connecting with, even their speeds and distances travelled.
  • Data is transferred via a USB cable that also charges the unit
  • Weighs only 11g (.3 oz) so it’s very light and is billed as the lightest on the market
  • Comes with a universal attachment to insure it fits both wide and narrow collars
  • Working with vets to draw up breed-specific RDA’s (recommended daily allowances) for exercise.
  • Very affordable at only $40.00.

Available June 2015.

While this may not be the most sophisticated on the market, you get quite a lot for $40, and it doesn’t cost $200, so it’s very accessible to most. And, it solves our problem of wanting to locate our pets.

 

Top Tech for Pets from Global Pet  Expo 2015 on www.barkandswagger.comTop Tech for Pets from Global Pet  Expo 2015 on www.barkandswagger.comTop Tech for Pets from Global Pet  Expo 2015 on www.barkandswagger.com

 Insect Shield®

While this isn’t a traditional product for a story on high tech, it is high tech, nonetheless. At a fashion industry conference not long ago, I took a seminar on the newest fabrics coming onto the market; ones that incorporate the latest technology to perform functions. It’s incredible what some of them can do! Insect Shield® uses EPA-registered technology that converts clothing and gear into long-lasting and effective insect protection. It’s pretty amazing, actually. Research and field study by third party labs has created pet apparel and accessories proven to repel mosquitoes, ticks, flies and fleas for the life of the product. The Insect Shield® technology is also utilized by leading lifestyle brands and International relief organizations, and is an approved vendor of the US Army and US Marine Corps.

Now, my concern was about the chemical that repels the bugs. Was it harmful to our pets over the longterm? Here’s what I learned. The chemical is called permethrin and I went right to the top to find out – Jason Griffin, the President of Insect Shield International. Here’s what Jason had to say: “A very small amount of permethrin is used, but the real trick is the way that we bond it so tightly to the fibers in the fabric that only minute amounts actually come off.

“Think of it like a dye process. The stuff that went into making my shirt blue is certainly not something that you want to ingest, and something that you probably wouldn’t want to get on your skin when in liquid form, but since it is dyed into the fabric in a “nearly permanent” way, we don’t hesitate for a moment about putting on a blue shirt. That analogy seems to help people conceptualize the way we are binding permethrin into clothing.” I got it!

The Insect Shield® for Pets collection includes a wide variety of items to protect our pets from nasty bugs:  blankets, reversible beds, exercise pens, cots, cargo seat covers, premium tees, lightweight hoodies, safety vests, bandanas, and neck gaiters. The items range from $9.99 to $139.99, so they are very affordable. Something to think about if you’re in a high infestation area. We just moved to Fort Lauderdale and Sophie, for the first time, got fleas. I freaked out. So, I may be looking into this, too!

Available at Amazon.

 

Top Tech for Pets from Global Pet  Expo 2015 on www.barkandswagger.com

 Air Oasis Air Sanifiers®

This is a really interesting device that purifies and sanitizes the air via a NASA-developed technology called PCO (Photocatalytic Oxidation). This technology was enhanced by Air Oasis to create the Air Oasis Air Sanifiers®. The device comes in several different sizes to accommodate everything from a mobile hand sanitizer and one for a room in your home, to larger spaces and even veterinary offices and hospitals. They also have a model that is meant to be installed into your air conditioner duct. Here’s what this amazing piece of technology does:

  • Quickly reduces mold, bacteria & viruses in the air
  • Reduces VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) & odors
  • Reduces aeroallergens and airborne particles
  • Utilizes four technologies in one, including ion tech, AHPCO tech (anti mold, bacterial, viral), a washable stainless steel dust guard, and a germicidal UVC light.

It’s pricey but can, over time, pay for itself over and over again by cutting down on illnesses for us and our families, including our pets. Nabarun Ghosh, Ph.D. and a professor of biology at West Texas A&M University said this: “Pursuant to numerous years of detailed and thorough scientific studies and tests, I have concluded, documented and declare Air Oasis brand air purification units to be one of the most effective technologies available today in combating airborne allergens, dust, animal dander, smoke, mold, mildew, bacterial and fungal hazards. The specific quality of these air purifiers is that they are filterless, and they can purify the air by removing all types of aeroallergens and bacterial strains including the harmful MRSA.” Wow, that’s impressive.

The Air Oasis Air Sanifiers® are available on Amazon, and range from $178.00 for the mobile hand sanitizer to over $500.00 for the larger units.

 

Top Tech for Pets from Global Pet Expo 2015 on www.barkandswagger.com

Voyce

Voyce is a wearable band that provides key insights into our dog’s health and wellness. While it, too, is rather large and therefore, not really suitable for small dogs (at least not yet), for medium to large dogs, it can be a great way to pre-empt health issues requiring veterinary care. The Voyce monitor collects the following data for you and your vet:

  • resting respiratory rate
  • resting heart rate
  • rest metrics – how much activity, calories burned, distance traveled
  • can set goals and reminders, like food, medication and vaccination schedules
  • can store the medical records of your dog
  • it’s lightweight, waterproof and dustproof
  • combines exclusive, patented technology with complex algorithms and analytics to provide key health and wellness data
  • accessible from any desktop, tablet or mobile device

They describe it as the ultimate relationship with your dog and for your veterinarian with your dog. The price tag is high, at $299.99, which includes the Voyce band and membership. Membership plans are either monthly, at $9.99 or annual, at $99.95. The membership plan gives you access to their portal and your data. What else do you get for that price? Breed and age tailored articles and insights from top veterinarians and industry experts is included on the portal. Will be interesting to see if Voyce finds its audience at that price point and if this is, indeed, the wave of the future in helping us being more proactive and better pet parents. Will be available for shipping in April 2015.

What fun discovering the new technologies coming on the market for us to be better pet parents! Do you have a piece of pet tech you love? 

Written by Jody Miller-Young
What does stylish mean to you? I’m passionate about animals, fashion, travel, home decor and rescue, and that's what you'll find here. After a recent move to Fort Lauderdale from NYC, we're loving our new life in the sunshine. Welcome to my world! Grab your favorite beverage, curl up and stay awhile.