From Japan: A real wearable for your dog (or cat)

Dogs are special. For many, they are held in higher regard than a lot of people which is actually not difficult to understand when you take the time to think about it.

Mankind has made companions out of many animals, cats, birds, horses, dogs, and others, but dogs are distinct in a lot of ways. With few exceptions, the human-dog relationship is ubiquitous around the world, even in Japan where we often see trends and technology take a turn for the weird.

Not this time. A company based in Tokyo, Anicall, has developed a wearable for your dog (or cat if it wears a collar) that is actually functional, rather than be a gratuitous adornment and waste of money. Called Shiraseru Am, which means “tell” (or more loosely, “notifier”) in Japanese, this wearable will monitor your pet’s behavioral data.

Shiraseru Am will track the activities of what your dog does when you are not around. Shiraseru Am can classify more than 20 different types of behavior. The device connects to the Anicall app on your smartphone via Bluetooth. Anicall collated available data from sources to develop the app and provide reasonable understanding to a pet's behavior.

The benefits for such a device are quite practical. Animals change their activities when they are not feeling well, or if a female is in estrous. Such wearable analysis is already put to work in Japan in partnership with Fujitsu and Microsoft. If that means catching a potentially serious health problem in the early stages, the Shiraseru Am could be invaluable.

Anicall is taking pre-orders for the Shiraseru Am via the Makuake crowdfunding site. The goal is to raise ¥500,000 ($4,100) over the next couple of months. The first perks for a Shiraseru Am start at just ¥5,000 ($40).

For now, Shiraseru Am and the associated Anicall app are centered for the Japanese market, but we can envision a ready and willing market around the developed world where a product like this would be well received.



via: Japan Trends