Your Dog Just Went High-Tech

AI-powered Companion will dispense treats, games, training while you're busy at work
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 17, 2023 1:20 PM CDT
Your Dog Just Went High-Tech
File photo of Fido, who could soon be sitting in front of an AI device.   (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

For anyone who's ever wondered why a bedside pizza-and-movie-dispensing gadget doesn't exist, well, you're apparently still out of luck. But your dog might be sitting pretty: As Axios reports, there's a new AI-powered device that dispenses treats and "provides all day scheduled and on-demand engagement for your dog with games, behavioral programs, and training." It's called Companion, and per PR Newswire, it recently raised $6 million for a grand total of $14 million in capital, and it will start shipping next year.

  • What it does: Aside from the aforementioned, it looks for "sudden or subtle shifts in your dog's movement or posture that can indicate pain, anxiety, or stress," using "AI hardware, machine learning, and best-in-class positive reinforcement techniques," per Companion. The "curriculum constantly adapts and adds new behavior, training, and health modules over the air as your dog learns."

  • From the CEO: John Honchariw says this, per Axios: "We don't leave our human children alone, but we do leave our fur children alone, and people are anxious about that. ... We also want to give our dog something really enriching—and even better if it helps us have better communication with it."
  • Honchariw on his own dog: "He loves it, and it's his all-day play buddy. He eats 100% of his dog food through the device, so for him, it's like the world's most advanced food puzzle. And it really helped me because I know he's doing things and having fun at the same time and learning all the basic obedience commands."
  • Like the idea? It'll set you back a bit with your wallet. The cost: $49 a month.
(More dogs stories.)

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