Making a slip-free device
The reason they started with a product for pets was initially because Lin Hong-dun, a division director at the SSTC, had a big ginger cat that one day suddenly began to act crazy. As an expert in radar sensing, he thought that radar devices could be used on pets to detect where there might be a problem.
However, despite the SSTC’s great expertise in low-power radar sensing technology, there was a difficulty: Because pets have fur and are very active, devices attached to them can easily slip off. It was essential to overcome the challenges of making a device that can collect data without the need for any of the pet’s fur to be shaved off.
It was also necessary to create the backend smart analysis technology from scratch, constructing mathematical models based on the heartbeat, respiration, and activity levels of different pets.
Pets are like family members, says Roger Cheng. iPetWeaR’s commercial value comes from its simplicity of operation, real-time monitoring, and humane concern for animal welfare. In the future it will be possible to create electronic health records from a pet’s birth and immunizations through sickness and old age, and integrate these into comprehensive services linked with veterinary clinics and pet hotels. Moreover, the global market for pet wearable devices is not the only economic opportunity opened up by this technology. Currently ITRI is in talks with large-scale cattle farming interests in places like the US and Australia to develop livestock management devices that will track the physiological condition, milk production, and illnesses of cattle. The commercial possibilities appear unlimited.
MoMo is sitting on a pet bed with a radar antenna inside, so that his physiological condition can be monitored using low-power radar.
Angelabelle is wearing an iPetWeaR collar, enabling her owner to use an app to check on her heartbeat, respiration, and activity level.