Have you ever wanted to interact with your pet while they were home alone? Do you feel guilty leaving your best friend in solitude? Well there’s no longer any need to worry.
PlayDate, the “world’s first pet camera in a smart ball,” is designed to allow pet owners to remotely interact with their pets.
The smart ball can be remotely controlled via the PlayDate app on the owner’s phone or by logging into PlayDate’s website.
With a high-definition wide-angle camera and built-in speaker and microphone, the smart ball allows owners to speak, listen, and interact with their pets when they are away from home.
Owners can even snap photos, record videos, and make the ball “squeak” in classic chew-toy fashion.
Being iOS, Android, and web compatible, PlayDate can be utilized with almost any device and from any internet access location.
Founders Kevin Li and Anthony Chien created PlayDate after they could no longer bare the guilt they felt when they left their pets home alone.
Several years ago Li adopted canine Hulk from a shelter. Li wanted to make sure his new friend was getting enough exercise and socializing properly.
Unable to find an adequate activity trackers for his dog on the market, Li created one.
Li soon learned that the activity tracker wouldn’t do the trick.
“Looking at his sad face every time I left for work,” recalled Li “I realized he didn’t need more tracking, he needed more time with his best friend.”
“Despite all the new technology to help us be happier and healthier,” said Chien “our furry friends seem to have been skipped over.”
“It’s this vision for a better world for owners and pets that inspired us,” followed up Li.
Li and Chien believe that PlayDate is not just any old pet toy, but a new way for owners to interact with their pets.
Inside the removable and chew-resistant polycarbonate shell, Li and Chien placed a five megapixel, 160 degree wide-angle camera and a rechargeable 2700mAh lithium polymer battery.
PlayDate comes in a three-inch or four-inch version. The company recommends the larger size for large dogs and the smaller size for cats and small dogs.
You can pre-order the device from PlayDate’s Indiegogo page, starting at $129.00 The device will be on the market in December, and is expected to retail for $249.
