Dog -- Engadget

Dog buys 5,000 Microsoft points, says he just wanted to check out the Abbey Road DLC

by Laura June posted Nov 1st 2009 at 7:57PM

Say what you will about dogs being man's best friend -- they sure can get into a lot of trouble. While our dogs have been limited to eating shoes and shedding on our furniture, Greg Strope of Richmond, Virginia has reason to believe his furry friend has gone the extra mile. While he lay in bed sleeping, his dog Oscar, he believes, purchased 5,000 Microsoft points. The only possible culprit, Oscar left some telltale signs (drool and scratches) on the Xbox controller, leading Greg to blame the $63 purchase on him. We have to admit the dog's actions rather impress us, though it also makes us nervous about all those times we left our laptop open and unattended around our own tiny beast. Video featuring damning photographic evidence is after the break.

Continue reading Dog buys 5,000 Microsoft points, says he just wanted to check out the Abbey Road DLC

Remote Pet Feeder feeds your pet, encourages your animal voyeurism habit

by Laura June posted Jun 9th 2009 at 9:52AM

The last time we saw a computerized internet-controlled pet feeder, it had been lovingly, creatively cobbled together by a child. Well, it seems the idea's really got legs, as they now seem to be available on a mass-scale, in a nearly identical (albeit slightly more polished) form. Yes, just like the one designed by a boy somewhere in the 8-years-old-range, the Remote Pet Feeder comes with a webcam, a slightly modded bulk kibble feeder / bowl combo, and a 24-hour programmable timer. It's available now for about $290.

[Via Coolest Gadgets]

LaserPup trains for battle with Laser Cats

by Paul Miller posted Feb 5th 2009 at 2:10PM

We don't really know where to begin. LaserPup involves shooting a laser at a dog over the internet, nothing more, nothing less, but somehow it transcends traditionally pointless moddery and becomes something so much greater. Maybe it's because you shoot a dog with a laser over the internet. LaserPup is a ceiling-mounted laser and webcam whose beam can be directed around the floor with an iPhone-friendly browser-based interface. There's switch for turning on and off the lights, and when the laser is activated or deactivated it makes a sound to alert the dog that it's time to get shot at by lasers. In the future, there was a nuclear war... video is after the break.

Continue reading LaserPup trains for battle with Laser Cats

Video: Internet dog feeder feeds your dog... via the internet

by Laura June posted Jan 26th 2009 at 4:33PM

A young man named Tyler's built a little gadget that will feed his dog even when he's not around. Using an ioBridge IO-204 module and a continuously rotating servo in the feeder, he's able to dispense some kibble via a web page he's built which monitors the action via a webcam. Check the video -- the dog sure seems to think it's rad.

[Via Make]

Continue reading Video: Internet dog feeder feeds your dog... via the internet

SNIF Tags go commercial, promise to monitor your dog's activity

by Donald Melanson posted Nov 10th 2008 at 6:01PM

They've been keeping tabs on dogs around MIT for a few years now, but it looks like the activity-monitoring SNIF Tags are now finally making their public, and commercial, debut. Unlike some other devices that track your dog's whereabouts with GPS, these make use of an accelerometer and some motion analysis software to determine exactly how active your dog is, all of which gets logged online via the included SNIF base station that connects to your router. Even more ambitiously, the tags also promise to let you and your dog engage in a bit of social networking, with the tags able to recognize when they're close to another tag and record the encounter online when you get back home which, of course, depends on plenty of other dogs having the tags as well. Their $200 introductory price (or $300 after November 24th) won't exactly help those chances, however, nor will the $10 a month fee for the premium membership (a year of service is included with the starter kit). If that's not a deterrent for you though, you can get your order in right now by hitting up the ready link below.

iBone chew toy gives sneak peek at dog-centric App Store

by Darren Murph posted Oct 24th 2008 at 10:48AM

We're going out on a limb here and assuming that the Haute Diggity Dog iBone comes jailbroken and ready to rock, or at least that's the impression we get from checking out that heretofore unseen bevy of icons. Customized for the "tech savvy dog on the go," this here iPhone chew toy gives dear Fido access to bark / hand-shake training, posture lessons, Washington Huskies sports updates (it's the Clemson Tigers in all honesty, but work with us here), a mysterious fitness app and a bone application for times when supper just seems too far away. You know your pup's worth the $11.95, you just know it.

[Via textually]

Vladimir Putin finally acquires satellite collar for his dog

by Darren Murph posted Oct 18th 2008 at 2:46AM

Just under a year ago, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced his hopes that one day he could pinpoint the location of his black Labrador, Koni, at any time of the day. Today, a dream has been realized. Mr. Putin has finally procured a satellite collar that will enable him to track the lab regardless of which of the eleven times zones she may be in while waltzing through Russia. Once the collar was slipped on, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov immediately said "she looks sad, her free life is over." Putin didn't miss a beat when snapping back: "In Soviet Russia, GLONASS track you!"

[Image courtesy of Picasa, thanks MJ]

WowWee's Wrex the Dawg reviewed: puts real canines to shame

by Darren Murph posted Jun 4th 2008 at 12:24PM

Unless you've specifically been lookin' out, you may have very well forgotten about WowWee's crazed robotic dog that was uncaged at CES. After lasting through its first few days of training (which we'll call a review for our purposes), we're led to believe that this pup is "the silliest robot you'll ever love." Reviewers weren't shy in calling it like it saw it, as Wrex was hailed as "absolutely terrible at being a dog and even worse at being a robot." Of course, it's fairly easy to see this bugger was meant to provide comedic relief and not sophisticated companionship, so those pointers aren't exactly negative. Overall, Wrex is almost guaranteed to make you chuckle on a daily basis, and if you don't believe that, just check out the video waiting after the break.

[Via MAKE]

Sparky the robodog reacts accordingly to surroundings

by Darren Murph posted Jun 1st 2008 at 5:47AM

Hate to say it, but Pleo ain't got nothing on Sparky. Created by five interaction design master students, this robodog actually responds in sensible ways to positive / negative scenarios going on around it. For instance, the creature will drop its head, whimper and collapse down if faced with "carbon monoxide, cigarette smoke, alcohol, too much dark lighting, hitting and yelling." Consequently, he'll perk up and show signs of excitement when standing in broad daylight or going on walks. All the pluses of having your own pet, minus the excrement and doggy daycare costs -- brilliant! Peep Sparky's day out on the town after the jump.

Continue reading Sparky the robodog reacts accordingly to surroundings

Video: HPI's G-Dog will hunt

by Thomas Ricker posted Apr 11th 2008 at 9:23AM

Announced last week, we now have the first video of HPI's G-Dog courtesy of Impress. HPI's definitely not going for cute and cuddly here; this cyberdog's all bite and surprisingly quick and nimble on that slick tabletop. As such our plans to slather the Earth in linoleum after the uprising look sufficiently foiled. Damn you H.P.Iiiiiiii! Click through for the action, while you still can.

Continue reading Video: HPI's G-Dog will hunt

LED Dog Tail Communicator gives Fido a voice

by Darren Murph posted Apr 9th 2008 at 4:06AM

Not like we haven't seen a similar idea passed around before, but James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau have apparently taken things one step further with their LED Dog Tail Communicator. As the title implies, the device would simply be affixed to your favorite canine's tail, after which it could broadcast actual words based on the speed of the tail wag. There's no telling just how many phrases the thing could spell out -- and honestly, we have no idea how accurate the statements would actually be -- but this may be just the thing to keep Rover quiet while still letting him get his point across.

[Via Coolest-Gadgets]

HPI's G-Dog sniffs out your human wreckage

by Thomas Ricker posted Apr 1st 2008 at 3:33AM

HPI Japan just conjured up GR-001's new best friend: the G-Dog. The DIY, four-legged robot with a taste for jugulars and what appears to be a sword for a tail stands just 5.3-inches tall and features the same control unit and sensors of his bipedal buddy. Presumably, G-Dog will only respond to street-wize greetings of "Whut up Gee?" and "'Sup Dawg?" at which point he'll lubricate his turf (aka, your carpet). G-Dog is expected to terrorize Japan sometime in July for around $1,000. Backside front, after the break.

Continue reading HPI's G-Dog sniffs out your human wreckage

Robot taxidermy provokes thoughts, awwws

by Joshua Topolsky posted Feb 29th 2008 at 8:05AM

Artist France Cadet has created what was clearly meant to be a thought-provoking treatise on animal rights, the changing relationships of humans and animals, our ethical concerns on hunting, and an ever-morphing perception of what it means to be human... but it also comes off as looking really, really cool. Using the better half of the Aibo-wannabe I-Cybie robo-dog, Cadet reprograms the half-bots -- called "Hunting Trophies" -- to detect movement and react angrily when a viewer approaches. There are 11 different species in the collection, including a robot impala, lion, zebra, and warthog. Guess what? Despite those lofty philosophical goals, each one is more adorable than the next. Want.

[Via PROTEIN OS]

AIBO matches real dogs in chasing away loneliness, research claims

by Paul Miller posted Feb 28th 2008 at 11:16AM

While robot / human relations seem to be fairly solid at the moment, it looks like the fight has long since been on between canines and their robotic counterparts. Some researchers at Saint Louis University compared Sony's AIBO with a mutt named Sparky at three different nursing homes, to see how residents would respond. Maybe Sparky just isn't that affable, but the researchers found that AIBO and his living breathing competition were both equally successful in alleviating loneliness. AIBO also has the added advantage of, erm, cleanliness, and is easier for senior citizens to take care of, so it looks like Sparky is pretty much out of a job. Get used to it, buddy, it's called outsourcing.

[Via Tech Digest]

Puppy vs. Roboquad: the ultimate man-machine showdown

by Joshua Topolsky posted Jan 27th 2008 at 8:13PM

Ever wondered what would happen if you were to pit the Wowwee Roboquad against an excitable, yapping puppy? Wonder no longer, friends, as the answer to this age-old question has been captured on video -- replete with NES sound effects and 8-bit scorecard. Watch the battle for ultimate supremacy after the break... our money is on the dog.

[Via Digg]

Continue reading Puppy vs. Roboquad: the ultimate man-machine showdown