This robot lets you remotely surveil your cat and track its daily step count
0Reported today on The Verge
For the full article visit: https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2019/12/4/20995195/robot-pet-tech-ebo-kickstarter-surveillance-step-count
Reported today in The Verge.
This robot lets you remotely surveil your cat and track its daily step count
If you needed proof that the surveillance society is truly ubiquitous, look no further than Ebo - a robot that live-streams HD video of your pet straight to your phone and can even track your furry friend's daily step count.
Launched on Kickstarter, Ebo doesn't exactly represent a new concept in pet tech, but it does manage to combine features from a number of products we've seen before.
It's mobile, whizzing around on a pair of self-righting wheels, and can entertain your pet under its own steam using a combination of lights, sounds, and a feather on its head. It can live-stream footage from a 1080p HD camera, take photos and video, and, when paired with a companion collar, even tell owners how much daily exercise their cat is getting.
In other words: it's a pretty complete pet surveillance package. Users can even set schedules for Ebo's activity. The company says the robot is able to autonomously return to its charging dock when it runs out of battery.
A note on crowdfunding:
Crowdfunding is a chaotic field by nature: companies looking for funding tend to make big promises. According to a study run by Kickstarter in 2015, roughly 1 in 10 "successful" products that reach their funding goals fail to actually deliver rewards. Of the ones that do deliver, delays, missed deadlines, or overpromised ideas mean that there's often disappointment in store for those products that do get done.
The best defense is to use your best judgment. Ask yourself: does the product look legitimate? Is the company making outlandish claims? Is there a working prototype? Does the company mention existing plans to manufacture and ship finished products? Has it completed a Kickstarter be