San Diego startup CleverPet has developed a game console for dogs.
urrently raising funding on Kickstarter.
The game's creators - who recently launched a Kickstarter fundraiser for the effort - described the web-enabled snack server, which connects to a mobile app, as "the world's first interactive pet learning and entertainment device based on the science of animal behavior," according to Xconomy.
Dan Knudsen and Leo Trottier said CleverPet is designed to help dogs and other pets become less bored when they are alone at home. They said pets in America spend over 10 billion hours alone. Spending too much time alone can cause a dog to have separation anxiety.
The game awards dogs for solving challenging games with treats. It begins by prompting the dog to push any of the touchpad buttons to receive a treat. Afterwards, the lit button is the only one that delivers the snack. The puzzles become more complex and include different colors and lights, CNET reported.
CleverPet is able to adapt to the skill level of the dog. The game is also connected to Wi-Fi and is observed through an app, which lets pet owners keep track of how well the pet is doing and how many treats are eaten.
The game was demonstrated last week at San Diego's Ansir Innovation Center, Xconomy reported.
"The animal can interact with this all day long," Knudsen said during the demonstration. "The cool thing is that we can make their interaction more challenging as they get better at it over time."
Trottier said early production models should be available by next spring for people who contribute to CleverPet's Kickstarter campaign.
"This device is going to cut down on boredom, anxiety, destruction, and self-mutilation- behaviors known as 'kennel stress' or 'kennel crazy,'" he said.
Early-adopter-level pledge slots are still available for $159, CNET reported. The regular price for the device is $199.
