In the past two years, a profession has quietly become popular, and it is pet communicator.
In modern families, pets have become an important member of many people's lives, in order to better understand and care for their pets, owners will ask pet communicators with "special functions" to communicate with their pets across species to understand the needs of their pets that they may ignore.
On a short video platform, a blogger named "Tingzhi Wunu" once said that he was a pet communicator and earned 350,000 yuan a month. There are also many institutions that have made pet communicator training a business, charging 5,000 yuan to 15,000 yuan.
While pet communicators exploded, they also raised a lot of questions - is spending money on so-called "pet communicators" paying "IQ tax"?
The root cause of the controversy is that the so-called "communication with animals" has not been scientifically verified, and the conclusions conveyed to the owner through "communication" cannot be verified or falsified.
It is conceivable that if the pet translator is really invented, the shovelers will definitely be eager to get it. It's a pity that our technology hasn't made it this far.
Is there any other way for owners to better understand what their "furry child" is thinking?
AI "Pet Communicator"
SiiPet pet behavior analysis camera is probably the closest product to a pet translator at present.
This smart pet camera not only automatically and quickly identifies every cat and dog in the home and their behavior, but also divides their daily activities into regular behaviors, abnormal behaviors, and cute moments, providing pet owners with comprehensive and in-depth behavioral analysis.
SiiPet Smart Camera|Image source: SiiPet official website
Some people may say that pet cameras, this one is very simple, and most people have similar products at home.
However, the biggest difference between SiiPet and the previous cameras is that it adds the hottest AI features available today.
One of SiiPet's core features is its advanced AI algorithm, which can accurately distinguish between each pet in the home, allowing owners to identify exactly which pet is "wreaking" in the home.
User Lachlan · Coleman said on YouTube after experiencing the product: "I have 2 cats and 3 dogs – it recognises and distinguishes them perfectly, and I can finally figure out who messed everything up." Now Casper is biting on my new shoes."
Whether it's a cat that always likes to scratch the sofa or a dog who likes to rummage through the trash can, SiiPet can help owners easily find the real "culprit" and let pet owners know what is going on at home.
More than just behavioral recognition, SiiPet also pays special attention to the health of pets.
Through precise algorithms, this product can identify eight abnormal behaviors, including ear scratching, seizures, lameness, etc.
The kitten's abnormal behavior was recorded by the camera and sent to the owner|Image source: SiiPet official website
With a 95% recognition rate, SiiPet is able to quickly alert owners when these unusual behaviors are detected, helping them identify and address potential health issues before they occur.
Connor ·Shepard, a user with elderly pets at home, is especially grateful for this, saying, "My 'son' is 14 years old and I'm worried that he will leave me at any time, and I want to have something to look after him at any time, and thank you SiiPet for helping me do that!"
SiiPet uses 4K HD technology to capture your pet's every movement and expression clearly. In addition, SiiPet's smart camera excels in high-speed motion tracking, capturing every detail accurately, even when the pet is moving fast, providing the owner with high-quality video and image recording without frame drops.
At the same time, the app automatically generates classified albums to organize your pet's activity records based on year, month, and day. Owners can view their pet's behavior statistics for the day at any time, including sounds, regular behaviors, and special activities, to get a complete picture of their pet's daily life. This feature allows owners to keep an eye on their pets even when they are not around.
Harrison, who is often on the go, knows this: "We spend a lot of time outdoors and I don't actually like to leave my 'daughters' here alone, so it makes me feel better to have something like this!"
Installing and using SiiPet is also very simple. Users simply download the app, add their pet information, and take a 360-degree video of each pet so that SiiPet can recognize them. This is especially true for multi-cat or multi-dog households, where the owner can create a profile of each pet and the camera can accurately identify each pet.
Pet products, which are being reshaped by AI
In fact, it's not just AI cameras, smart devices have penetrated into every aspect of pet life. Products such as smart litter boxes, smart collars, and smart pet doors, the pet track, like all other industries, is being redone by AI. With each passing day, pet products are using intelligent functions to take care of pets' diet and daily life, and meet the desire of owners and pets to communicate.
At the same time, the pet smart device track can be said to be full of entrepreneurs:
ORo AI 宠物陪伴机器人
ORo AI pet companion robot from India, this smart device integrates play, feeding, health monitoring, guarding and training, becoming an all-round life companion for pets.
The ORo robot is equipped with an automatic feeder that automatically provides food and treats to pets when the owner is not at home, ensuring that the feeding schedule is maintained. At the same time, ORo has a health log function, which can record pets' eating habits and other vital signs, helping owners to detect potential health problems of pets early.
In addition, the ORo robot can also capture the pet's behavioral signals and automatically try to soothe or distract it, such as playing a game of picking up a ball with a dog at home alone, avoiding boredom or loneliness caused by the lack of companionship during the owner's work hours.
When the owner is not at home, the ORo AI pet companion robot activates the "guardian mode"|Source: Official video screenshot
Little Robot 4 智能猫砂盆
Whisker 的 Little Robot 4 是一款专为猫咪设计的智能猫砂盆。
With a WiFi connection, it automatically cleans the litter box within minutes of using it and replaces it with fresh litter each time.
Little Robot 4 智能猫砂盆｜来源：官方视频截图
Little Robot 4 also comes with a quiet loop mode, which is perfect for nighttime use, especially for sound-sensitive cats. Through the app, the owner can track the cat's toilet habits and weight at any time, detect abnormalities in time, and pay attention to the cat's health in real time.
Minitailz 智慧项圈
Invoxia's Minitailz smart collar has built-in GPS and a medical-grade health tracker that can track your pet's whereabouts, appetite, and heart health in real time. With the accompanying app, pet owners can closely monitor their pet's overall health, especially key indicators such as breathing and heart rate, providing a basis for timely health interventions.
It is really difficult not to be tempted by the owners who have pets at home.
The Invoxia Smart Collar regularly tracks the health of your pet|Image source: The official website of the product
SmartDoor 智慧宠物门
PetSafe's SmartDoor provides security and convenience for pets to enter and exit the house flexibly through the blessing of the recognition function.
This pet door can be connected to the pet's collar, when the pet approaches the door, the door will automatically sense and open, providing the convenience of free entry and exit for the pet, and naturally blocking the possibility of other small animals passing through.
The PetSafe app enables owners to set a custom-aligned entry and exit schedule for multiple pets and receive real-time notifications of pet entry and exit.
The product also has a weatherproof seal to protect pets in inclement weather, ensuring a comfortable indoor environment.
SmartDoor Smart Pet Door|Image source: product official website
Let the pet robot enter the home first
Combined with AI technology and pet products, sensors are able to collect pet's behavioral data and conduct in-depth analysis to provide critical feedback to the owner. Before animal language translation technology was widely available, this kind of data-based interpretation of pet behavior has become a bridge of communication between owners and pets.
Just like every bit in every frame of the SiiPet smart camera, it helps the owner to have a deeper understanding of the needs and emotions of the furry child in the home. This technology not only improves the pet ownership experience of pet owners, but is also the core demand of AI pet products, which will become an important reason why many pet owners choose to buy such products.
When consumers are attracted by so many smart pet products and can't wait to buy them home, it also opens up the idea of robots entering the home scene from another angle.
In the past two years, in stark contrast to the rapid development of AI technology, AI technology is in urgent need of landing scenarios, such as household robots. One of the reasons is that the home environment is too complex, and the robot cannot cope with and deal with the complex physical environment without interactive feedback training.
If the robot does not enter the home environment, it will not have the opportunity to interact with the real physical environment, and it will not be able to learn how to adapt to the environment.
The pet track provides another way of thinking - maybe we don't have to start with serving people, we can start with serving pets.
Household robots are expensive and the threshold for realization is too high, compared to the cost performance of a simple pet companion robot. Moreover, a robot that is still in the "young" stage of development is perfect to accompany and serve a pet that is equivalent to the IQ of a young child.
On the other hand, the market space for smart pet products is far from being opened.
According to the 2023-2024 China Pet Industry White Paper (Consumption Report), the size of the mainland urban pet consumption market has reached 279.3 billion yuan in 2023 and is expected to jump to 361.3 billion yuan by 2026.
According to Xiaohongshu's 2024 pet industry insight report, compared with the past 1 year, 88% of people have significantly improved their consumption structure, and the main spending is smart products.
For the health and happiness of their furry children, more and more pet "parents" are willing to buy more expensive new high-tech products for their furry children to improve the quality of life of their pets.
Source: Xiaohongshu 2024 Pet Industry Insight Report
The addition of AI technology has undoubtedly increased the evolution speed of pet smart devices, and it has also made the future pet hardware market full of possibilities.
*Header image source: SiiPet official website