Evolutionary Pet Technology
Pet Technology
It is said that there are more than 800 million pets (such as dogs and cats) being owned by humans around the world. (Statista "Number of Dogs and Cats Pets Worldwide 2018") While the term "pet" usually refers to the unilateral emotional care of a pet owner, a more recent term that has come into vogue is "companion animal", meaning an animal that lives with humans as a life partner and member of the family. Recently, the term "companion animal" has become popular, meaning that animals that live with humans are considered to be life partners and members of the family, which is a sign of a change in the way pets exist and in the affection they are given.
In addition, the number of new adoptions of both cats and dogs is on the rise in Japan, as people tend to stay at home and spend more time with their pets due to the pandemic. (Japan Pet Food Association, "2021 National Survey on Dog and Cat Ownership") The association describes the positive psychological impact on people who started owning pets after the pandemic, and points out that "the presence of pets is becoming more and more important to society." "For pet owners, pets are an important presence that can bring as much or more happiness than family members.
In response to this change in society, interest in pet+technology, which utilizes the latest technology, is growing every year. This time, we will introduce new technologies that bring comfort and safety to the lives of humans and their pets through the use of artificial intelligence (AI)
Using AI to verbalize pet feelings
Even though pets are able to communicate with people but are unable to express it in words. In order to make their pets' lives more comfortable, there must be many owners who wish to understand their pets' language. Now there are various translation services that make pet owners' dreams come true.
American companies offer apps that can instantly translate a cat's purr into human language, expressing the cat's mood on its behalf through AI and mechanical learning. In addition, the Japanese company's translation service can use original AI to convert cat and dog actions into messages that live-stream the pet's situation remotely to the owner. An activity meter equipped with sensors is fitted to the collar, and by using AI to analyze the data collected, messages are used to communicate what the pet is doing and what state it is in.
