#pet-automation

#pet-automation

"I felt like there were these patterns that were really related to my symptoms, but I didn't know how to connect them."

Chef Robotics has recently reached a remarkable milestone by completing 100 million servings in production, underscoring the company's commitment to innovation and the importance of automation in food manufacturing.

Halter's innovative collars replace physical fences with software-defined boundaries, enabling farmers to manage grazing with unprecedented precision, leading to productivity gains of up to 20%.

Boston Dynamics' Spot ranges from $175,000 to $300,000, depending on configuration. Ghost Robotics' Vision 60 starts at $165,000. Both companies pitch them as cheaper alternatives to human guards, who cost around $150,000 annually. "Typically, our customers have a payoff within two years," Merry Frayne, senior director of product management at Boston Dynamics, told Business Insider.

For decades, people with disabilities have relied on service dogs to help them perform daily tasks like opening doors, turning on lights, or alerting caregivers to emergencies. By some estimates, there are 500,000 service dogs in the U.S., but little attention has been paid to the fact that these dogs have been trained to interact with interfaces that are made for humans.

Among them is the country's embrace of human-like AI systems, which are increasingly being embedded in cuddly, commercial, transactable toys - for adults, strikingly, in addition to children - at the same time that state regulators are considering a broader crackdown on that exact type of tech. New reporting by China Daily reveals the rise of AI companion toys among adults in China, a trend emerging as more of the country's citizens live alone than ever before.

We're living through a strange moment where our refrigerators are smarter than ever, our thermostats learn our habits, and now, apparently, dogs can control household appliances. The Dogosophy Button, developed by researchers at The Open University's Animal-Computer Interaction Laboratory, is a wireless switch designed specifically for canine use. Think of it as a smart home device, but instead of asking Alexa, you're teaching your golden retriever.

All of the appliances and systems are brand-new: the HVAC, the lighting, the entertainment. Touch screens of various shapes and sizes control this, that, and the other. Rows of programmable buttons sit where traditional light switches would normally be. The kitchen even has outlets designed to rise up from the countertop when you need them, and slide away when you don't.

Like most pet owners, I'd do just about anything for my cat. Especially in the last two years or so, as my beloved calico Phoebe has entered into what the vet calls the "geriatric" stage. She's still sassy as ever, but also 16 years old now, underweight, and VERY picky - so her appetite and nutrition is something I monitor closely.

The clip opens with the dog sitting beside his mom on the couch while she works on her laptop. It's clear that the pup is deeply inconvenienced by his mom's working situation. Text above his head reads "Worst day ever," perfectly capturing the dramatic tone of what's to come. Within seconds, he side-eyes her to make sure she's paying attention, then begins softly whining, as if to say he's been patient long enough.