You have GPS links for luggage, kids, and even dogs, so what would the next logical step be? Cats, of course!
Yes, the roommate in many a home that sort of does what it wants when it wants and yet is still a pet will soon be able to be tracked and found at a moment’s notice. We’re sure when this happens, the alliance of kitty cats will have to find a new way to get around, working on their running speed to escape the clutches of human-kind, but shortly, you’ll be able to find that cat from any place.
This will happen courtesy of a GPS inside of a cat collar, with the “PetTracer” product combining the two items and making it possible to track a cat remotely (or anything else that can wear a cat collar).
The concept is coming out of Switzerland, and is aiming to make the PetTracer GPS-enabled cat collar survive on a battery with up to four weeks of life, while keeping the weight down, with the team saying that it won’t weigh much more than 20 grams.
A GPS isn’t useful unless tracking is enabled, and PetTracer is expected to work with a zone-based geofence system, which will tell you when your cat has left the vicinity, while information about distance travelled, rest time, and speed will be collected, also.
And we’re even told there will be a social network for cats. Interpret that one as you will.
Catbook? Purrtrest? MeowSpace? So many options to choose from there.
Currently, the project is over at IndieGogo, a crowd-funding site similar to Kickstarter, with PetTracer’s developers suggesting that early supporters will be able to nab one of these gadgets for around $159 USD, though a retail price will be likely closer to $250-300 when the project is finally finished, with an expected delivery date of mid-next year.
It’s not the only cat GPS out there, mind you, with an Australian concept also appearing to do something similar and keep the felines in your life in a friendly place.
That gadget is the “Pod,” a small GPS made inside of a light-weight barrel (above) that you can attach to a cat collar that would do much the same — perimeter alerts via a geofence, location tracking, etc — with support for iOS and Android.
Made in Australia, it’s about the size of a wine cork and will offer activity tracking as well, and even a dose of water-resistance.
The developers of the Pod for cats has told GadgetGuy that it should be shipping units shortly, with the gadget hitting PetBarn stores in January 2015.
