You could soon be able to play with your pets at home from anywhere on the web as a popular online pet play system previously available only to US animal shelters will be made available to home users via Kickstarter.The popular iPet Companion is a web-based remote play system that allows people to physically play with animals in real time while at work, travelling, at college, or anywhere there is an internet connection. These systems have so far only been available only to animal charities, but on May 1 the company will launch a Kickstarter campaign to fund a home version of the system.This new system, called the iPet Companion HomePlay, will give individual pet parents the ability to play with their own anim
iPet Companion was launched in 2010, and has subsequently been installed at 27 humane societies in the United States. Since then, participating shelters have seen a huge increase in kitten adoptions, sponsorships and web traffic, not to mention receiving visitors to the website from more than 170 countries logging in to play with adoptable animals.
With the success of the shelter version, the company has received thousands of requests for a home version, but they need a minimum order commitment to make production feasible. This is where Kickstarter comes in. If the campaign funds successfully, pet parents will be able to play with, exercise, enjoy, care for, and showcase their animals from anywhere in the world.
Scott Harris, founder of the iPet Companion, says: "It's been fantastic to see our technology used in such an intimate and loving way. Being able to physically connect people with animals with our shelter systems has proven emotionally powerful, evidenced by the rise in adoptions and the many stories we have received from the facilities. I'm certain home use will be just as powerful. We are happy to be able to provide this technology and bring it to the home consumer if our campaign successfully funds."
Owners of an iPetCompanion HomePlay system will be able to log on with their own personal webpage to physically control the iPet camera and toys directly from the screen, as well as taking photos using the camera. They can zoom in, scan the room to see what their companion animals are doing, and even play with their pets by clicking a button and controlling remotely operated toys.
The Kickstarter campaign kicks off on on Friday May 1st. To read more about the campaign and to make a contribution, click here.
