That’s paw-some! Apple Watch-style smart COLLAR that can track your dog’s heart rate and vital signs is set to go on sale this summer from $99
- GPS tracking company Invoxia developed the smart dog collar for larger dogs
- It sits comfortably around the neck of a dog, using lasers to track vital signs
- They worked with veterinary cardiologists to train AI that can gather data from the sensors and and fill in any missing information blocked by fur on the dog
An Apple Watch-style smart collar for dogs will be able to track its heart rate and other vital signs when it goes on sale in the summer, its developers claim.
Built by GPS tracking company Invoxia, the smart collar will also double as a GPS and activity tracker, and is expected to cost at least $99 when it goes on sale.
Previous generations of dog fitness trackers relied on a combination of GPS sensors and an accelerometer, but the new device also makes use of artificial intelligence.
The Invoxia team, based in Issy les Moulineaux, France, used radar sensors that use light to send signals into, and receive data back, from the skin of the dog.
They worked with veterinary cardiologists to train AI that can gather data from the sensors and and fill in any missing information blocked by fur.
An Apple Watch-style smart collar for dogs will be able to track its heart rate and other vital signs when it goes on sale in the summer, developers claim
The Smart Dog Collar is set to be released in the summer of 2022, and is a ‘first of its kind’ connected collar for dogs.
Invoxia CEO Amélie Caudron said there is a radar that faces the neck and sends a radio signal, that will then not be reflected by the hair.
‘So it doesn’t matter how much fur or hair there is, it’ll be reflected by the first layer of skin,’ Caudron told The Verge.
‘So the radar will actually be able to know the speed and movement of the skin right under the collar.’
The movements of the skin under the collar are fed into the artificial intelligence algorithm, which then determines the heart and respiratory rate of the dog.
Unlike smart watches on humans, which have to be tight to work, collar has been designed to sit comfortably around the dog’s neck, according to Invoxia.
The firm says it has four years of data it collected from its original GPS Pet Tracker, and will use that in the new collar to improve performance.
It will track daily activity of the dog, and identify when it is walking, running, scratching, eating, drinking and barking. It can also see when it is resting.
To make it easy to clean, for when it is running around in the mud, it comes with a removable fabric cover.
Unlike smart watches on humans, which have to be tight to work, collar has been designed to sit comfortably around the dog’s neck, according to Invoxia
‘Thanks to innovative embedded Artificial Intelligence and the first application of next generation sensors never before used in pet health, the Smart Dog Collar is the first dog collar capable of continuous and non-invasive monitoring of both resting heart and respiratory rate, even through thick fur,’ the firm said.
‘It can detect different behaviours and habits, building on millions of data points collected from pet activity. Featuring contextual intelligence, it uses the best geolocation technology according to its surroundings.’
This initial version of the smart collar will focus on the baseline statistics for your dog, rather than continuously monitoring its vitals in comparison to its breed.
The firm says it has four years of data it collected from its original GPS Pet Tracker, and will use that in the new collar to improve performance
There isn’t enough data on a large enough scale for each breed of dog, to allow for comparisons and deeper tracking, according to the firm, although they don’t rule out adding the function later as more data is gathered.
The company said being able to monitor vital signs of a dog could be useful post-surgery, for monitoring how it might respond to medication, or monitoring the health of older dogs with heart and breathing problems.
It could also act as an early warning system, alerting owners to potential problems that can be caught quickly and more effectively treated.
This version only works on medium and large dogs, as it hasn’t been possible to miniaturise the laser technology enough for small dogs.
Scientists develop a ‘smart collar’ that prevents tapeworms in dogs by delivering a regular dose of a deworming drug to the pup
Scientists have created a ‘smart collar’ that can prevent tapeworm in dogs by delivering a regular dose of a deworming drug automatically.
Dogs have a major role in spreading tapeworm (echinococcosis) to humans around the world, and can be infected with two types of the parasite, researchers said.
The cystic echinococcosis variety, a small tapeworm, is endemic in 368 counties in China, according to a recent study, finding dogs were primarily responsible.
Dosing dogs monthly with deworming treatments in remote regions is difficult, but this new collar can automate the process, delivering a low regular dose, according to experts from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control in Beijing.
Researchers tried out 551 collars on dogs in pre-field trials, and found they delivered the dose 88 per cent of the time with dogs wearing the collar for a year in the harsh climate of the Tibetan Plateau.
The new smart collar has praziquantel in it, the most effective deworming drug, which reduces the dog’s risk of tapeworm, also limiting the risk of spreading it.
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