dogs

Smartphone-triggered pet feeder connects to social media

Every morning and every night I wade through a gauntlet of screaming kitties, demanding their meals. This is the dark side of living with LOLcats. It would be nice sometimes to kick back in a coffee shop somewhere, tap on my smartphone, and let a machine do all the work.

The Pintofeed is an intelligent, Wi-Fi-connected pet feeder that's dialed in to smartphones and social media. It serves up food in half-cup portion increments and is controlled by Android or iOS devices. The standard capacity is 5 pounds of food, but an optional 10-pound holder is available.

There are plenty of safeguards built into the machine to insure it keeps working while you're away. It has a battery backup in case the AC power goes out. There are two motors so the secondary motor will kick in if the first one goes out. The owner receives an alert if something goes wrong.… Read more

Pet sitting site DogVacay fetches $6 million more in funding

DogVacay, the site that matches people who need a dog sitter with people who are interested in caring for dogs in their homes, is growing faster than a kibble-guzzling puppy.

The company, which launched in March and has about 8,000 hosts signed up on its network, recently hit $1 million in payments to its hosts. It's just received a $6 million investment from Benchmark Capital, co-founder and CEO Aaron Hirschhorn revealed today.

The site, which acts like an Airbnb for dogs, offers an affordable -- and more social -- alternative to kennels for dog owners, while giving hosts … Read more

Wall-E, BigDog, Nao, PackBot break into Robot Hall of Fame

The people have spoken and the machines are immortalized.

More than 17,000 humans voted online for the 2012 inductees to the Robot Hall of Fame, and they chose a mixture of friendly and terrifying bots, depending on your perspective.

Come on down, Wall-E, BigDog, Nao, and PackBot. You've earned a place among the stars.

Although the 12 nominees were selected by robotics experts, it was the first time that popular votes chose the inductees to Carnegie Mellon University's hall of immortal robots. … Read more

Official AT-AT dog costume turns Fido into furry war machine

Fan-made AT-AT walker dog costumes have been around for years. George Lucas' minions have taken notice of the inordinate demand for dressing mutts up like heavily armored Imperial Army land vehicles.

That brings us to the officially licensed "Star Wars" AT-AT pet costume. It comes in two parts with a bodysuit and a headpiece. Sizes range from small (for Sith Shih Tzus) to extra large (for Wookie Wolfhounds).… Read more

DogTV encourages your canine to be a couch poochtato

There's nothing my mother's dog likes more than chilling out on the couch, eating popcorn (yes, the human kind), and watching a movie. If he finds out about DogTV, a television channel designed for canine viewers, we'll never hear the end of it.

DogTV is a full-time channel available through the Roku platform or online streaming for $9.99 per month. It's full of programming with a pup purpose.

Some of it is geared for relaxation, so you'll get shots of dogs stretched out and napping in gorgeous natural settings. Some is designed for stimulation, so you get videos of dogs fetching balls, diving into pools, and tussling in the park with a jaunty soundtrack. … Read more

Run! DARPA's LS3 robot mule follows you around

Let the human-hunting games begin. Boston Dynamics has a new video of its oversized beast pursuing defenseless human meatsacks through a forest.

The Legged Squad Support System (LS3), aka AlphaDog, is designed to carry 400 pounds of payload and travel 20 miles without refueling. It's funded by DARPA and the U.S. Marine Corps and is meant to support troops in rugged terrain.

The latest video shows the cow-size monster clambering over rocks and up steep hillsides with heavy weights on its sides. It charges through bushes without a thought. … Read more

Heat-sensing collar texts you when your dog is too hot

Dogs and hot cars are a combination that should never happen, but sometimes dog owners leave their pooches in vehicles as they run errands. A new high-tech collar could help prevent dog-overheating deaths.

The Dog Caller combines a SIM card and a thermistor to monitor the temperature around a dog and send the owner a text alert when it nears 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The collar is part of a campaign developed by marketing firm Rethink Toronto for the Toronto Humane Society. … Read more

The 404 1,097: Where what kind of man dresses like a bird (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Apple patents game controller.

- Check out Shellrazer, out now and available for everyone.

- Spelunky is a 2D platform game for Xbox Live Arcade and PCs that demands patience and a lot of time.

- The Verge has bad news about your favorite game.

- Subscribe to Polygon's gaming podcast The Besties, featuring Russ Frushtick. … Read more

Always room for hamburgers and hot dogs

For some, there is always room for dessert. Meanwhile, for the more savory-inclined, hamburgers and hot dogs may be the more eternally available option. The two meat-in-a-bun products may have always gotten along splendidly, but that doesn't mean there has always been enough room for the two.

The Cuisinart GC-15 Griddler Compact Grill Centro is the smaller version of the previously covered Cuisinart GC-17 Grill Centro grilling behemoth. The diminutive device measures 15.7 inches across and is 10 inches deep. With a height of only 5.6 inches, the little indoor-grill-that-could is well suited for any countertop where … Read more

WithMe Bone concept soothes lonely dogs

Dogs are pack animals. When their pack leaders go off to work, leave on vacation, or go run some errands, life can feel awfully lonely for the pooches left behind.

Chinese product designer Yunfan Tan has an idea he hopes will ease the sadness for pouty pups. His WithMe Bone design plays to a dog's excellent senses of smell and hearing.

The idea is you stuff a worn piece of clothing like a sock into the bone. Small perforations let the smell out. A tiny voice recorder inside tapes you saying soothing messages to Fido, such as "Good boy!" or "Please don't pee on the rug." The audio is motion activated when the bone is shaken.… Read more