Pets

Smart collar helps search high and low for Fido

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Kyon is a smart dog collar packed with tech to protect your pet
The Kyon Collar will let you know if your dog gets too hot or cold
Kyon is claimed to quiet barking dogs using an ultrasonic module
Kyon is claimed to let you know what sort of mood your dog is in
The LED display can be used to display contact information if your dog goes missing
The collar works in tandem with an iPhone app - an Android version is in development
Barking dogs and dog fights are both dealt with using the collar's inbuilt ultrasonic module
The collar requires a US$4.99 monthly cell plan payment
The collar is charged by a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled dock
If it gets too hot the collar will warn the dog's owner through the app
Alongside all the advanced features, the Kyon collar still works as a way of attaching a leash to your dog
The basestation charger should only be needed once every 30 days if Kyon's claims about battery power are true
The charge points double as water sensors
Despite the multitude of sensors jammed inside, the Kyon collar is still slim
Owners are able to set a perimeter, and when the dog leaves that area they receive a notification on their phone
The collar looks a bit like a Fitbit, but doesn't do fitness tracking for your dog
The leash loop is sturdy, but if it breaks you're well equipped to find your dog
The collar is light and slim, so your dog is unlikely to notice it when it's on
Kyon is hoping its Kickstarter will lead to bigger and better things
Kyon is a smart dog collar packed with tech to protect your pet
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Even the most watchful dog owners know that it only takes a second for Fido to escape into the big, wide world and once on the lam, it can be tough to track down a pooch with a nose for adventure. The Kyon GPS pet collar from an Athens, Greece,-based team not only tracks down your pet in terms of latitude and longitude, but also altitude to reveal which floor of a building it is located.

As well as pinpointing your pet's location using GPS and an inbuilt altimeter, the collar, working in conjunction with a home Wi-Fi basestation or companion smartphone app, also allows owners to set up a virtual geofence with a perimeter of 65 to 300 ft (20 to 90 m). If the pet leaves this predefined area, the app will immediately sound a notification. And thanks to an inbuilt GSM module, the collar can communicate with the basestation and app even when the dog wanders beyond Bluetooth range.

There are plenty of smart collars out there to keep tabs on your dog. The Tagg GPS Plus allows you to set up a geofence to alert you when your dog goes walkabout, while Whistle is a Fitbit style fitness tracker that measures your pooch's activity so they don't develop a paunch.

Where Kyon's feature set differs from these products is in the range of "dangers" it is designed to warn you about. Weighing in at just 60 g (2.15 oz), the collar also packs a 9-axis accelerometer, a heat sensor, an ultrasound buzzer and a water sensor. It also features an LED display to show contact information and help friendly strangers track a missing pet's owner down.

Kyon is claimed to let you know what sort of mood your dog is in

As well as using its temperature and water sensors to warn when your dog gets too hot, cold or is at a drowning risk, a built in accelerometer tracks your pet's activity over time and sounds an alert when the pet isn't behaving as it normally does, suggesting it may be feeling a bit off color.

Kyon is also designed to quiet barking dogs by emitting a 25-kHz, high-frequency noise inaudible to humans that's activated by pressing the Shh...! button in the smartphone app. The ultrasonic noise is also the basis for the collar's Pacify feature, which is claimed to stop your dog from fighting.

The team has already developed an app for iOS devices, with an Android version currently in the works.

Currently the Kyon crowdfunding project has raised over US$14,000 of its $75,000 goal, with $219 the minimum pledge for those looking to wrap one around their pet's neck. If everything goes as planned, the collar will be available in three different sizes and retail for $249, but users will also need to pay a $4.99 service fee to maintain the cellular network connection that enables people to find their dogs when they're out of basestation and phone Bluetooth range.

Kyon's video about the collar is below.

Source: Kyon

View gallery - 19 images
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2 comments
RobertTritschler
With the increase of seniors and the incidence of memory loss and dementia, we need this tool to monitor and locate those that lose their way in our society. This would not only reduce costs of rescue but save lives. Bob
Alison1315
Bob, there goes your million dollar, get rich invention! Don't be surprised if someone invents it now. If so, I wonder if this would constitute as documentation as having thought of it first. Interestingly enough, I thought of this very collar and spoke of it to friends ave family years ago. It happens to me all of the time! I need to just start patenting things first. I'm glad to see someone is actually getting it out there. Like you Bob, I have a few things in mind that could make this even better. Great minds think alike!