With the emergence of health-focused smartwatches, such as the Apple Watch, humans have been able to monitor their heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and other vital health signals. Now, a company called Invoxia has developed a similar health-monitoring device disguised as a smart collar for pet dogs. It is the world’s first biometric health collar for dogs that helps pet owners monitor various body vitals of their furry friends, including their heart and respiratory rates, daily activities, and even track them using GPS.
Invoxia Smart Collar for Dogs
The Invoxia Smart Collar for dogs was recently unveiled at CES 2022. The company says that it has worked with several certified veterinary cardiologists to develop a deep-learning AI algorithm to track a dogs’ health. The company used miniaturized radar sensors, similar to the Soli radar that Google used on the Pixel 4, to develop the smart collar.
These tiny radar sensors utilize radio signals, which are not reflected by the hair, to monitor the health of dogs. Hence, unlike smartwatches that need to be in close contact with the skin of the users to gather health data, the smart collar works no matter how furry your quadruped friends are.
“There’s a radar that faces the neck and sends a radio signal, and that signal will 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. So the radar will actually be able to know the speed and movement of the skin right under the collar,” Amélie Caudron told The Verge in a statement.
Caudron also added that as the radar sensors rely on radio signals, the smart collar can sit loosely on the neck of a dog, without putting too much pressure on its throat area.
As for the tracking features, the Invoxia smart collar for dogs can monitor and track daily activities, including walking, running, scratching, eating, barking, and resting. The company says that it is utilizing four years of data collected via its existing GPS Pet Tracker platform to track the daily activities of the dogs. Plus, it comes with a removable fabric cover to help you easily clean the device after your dog comes back from a bathing session in a muddy pond.
Apart from tracking the health vitals of your pet, the Invoxia smart collar can also track their location using GPS. It also comes with a built-in buzzer and escape alert features and is compatible with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and LTE-M.
However, it is worth mentioning that the Invoxia smart collar will be initially available for only medium to big-sized dogs. That is because it is currently difficult to develop a more miniaturized version of the radar tech on which the smart collar relies. Plus, the whole system would be heavier for smaller dogs to carry it on their necks.
Price and Availability
Coming to the price and availability of the smart collar for dogs, Invoxia expects to release it sometime during the summer of 2022. The expected price of the smart collar is $99 (~Rs 7,370). However, to use the GPS functionalities of the device, users would require a $12.99 (~Rs 967) monthly subscription plan on the Invoxia Pet Tracker app.
So, what do you think of the Invoxia Smart Collar for pets? Would you buy this for your pet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
