We’ve featured a lot of pet gadgets on The Gadgeteer. There seem to be more and more of them on the market, which indicates how devoted pet owners are to their pets. I know my little Teddy seems like a child to me, and I hate having to leave him home alone for long stretches of time. It’s much better for him to be home and a little lonely than scorching in a hot car – which I would NEVER do, but it would be nice to check in on him. If your pet has separation anxiety, you’d probably also like a way to keep him calm so he’s not bothering the neighbors or tearing up the house. With the Petcube, a just-launched Kickstarter project, your pet doesn’t have to be lonely. The Petcube is a 4″, glass-fronted, aluminum cube with “wide angle camera, 2 servo motors, low intensity laser, microphone and speakers, circuit board, notification LED, mini-USB port.” It plugs into a wall outlet for power, and it connects to your home WiFi so you can access it from anywhere using a mobile app. You’ll be able to see your pet, and you’ll even be able to have a “conversation” through the Petcube’s speakers and microphone. You’ll even be able to play a rousing game of “catch the red dot” with the Petcube’s built-in laser. The Petcube launched just a couple of hours ago, and funding continues through Tuesday, Nov 5, 10:57am EST. An early-bird pledge of $99 gets you a Petcube at $100 off the expected MSRP; when the early-bird pledges are all claimed, you’ll need to pledge $149 for a Petcube. (After only 30 minutes, the Petcube already has 43 backers. You’d better hurry if you want an early bird pledge.)
