dog

DARPA's latest footage of LS3 robodog astounds

If you've never seen DARPA's version of Boston Dynamics' semi-autonomous LS3 (Legged Squad Support System) robot in action, now's a good time.

The government agency released a video yesterday that highlights one of LS3's most powerful skills: the ability to follow a leader by using computer-aided vision and GPS. In the four-minute clip, you can watch the dog-like robot following an instructor over some rough terrain -- with great ease -- in a wooded area near Fort Pickett, Va. … Read more

Crave Ep. 103: Dropping burrito bombs on America

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On this episode of Crave, we check out the Burrito Bomber engineered by Darwin Aerospace that literally bombs burritos into geo-tagged locations. We also get some NASA reassurance that the world may not end this month, which means we may actually get the chance to wear Lacoste's awesome polo shirts of the future. Also, dogs that drive? Yep. … Read more

Curious case of lawsuit over value of Twitter followers is settled

For those who would have liked to know the value of a Twitter follower, you'll have to wait for another lawsuit.

Last December, the mobile phone site PhoneDog sued former employee Noah Kravitz when he left the company, alleging that he took as many as 17,000 of its Twitter followers with him. PhoneDog estimated each follower was worth $2.50, money it wanted back.

The case drew national attention because it was the first with the potential to put a monetary value on an individual Twitter follower. As an employee, Kravitz had produced video blogs and reviews for … Read more

Fujitsu pet pedometer helps chunky dogs slim down

It's easy to pamper your pet with some table scraps, a few extra treats, and a little too much dog food. Before long, your fit Fido has become a hefty hound. Fujitsu is looking to help dog owners fight the fat with a pedometer and cloud service system.

The Wandant pedometer is based on motion-tracking technology from Fujitsu Laboratories. It measures and records the steps your pooch takes, picks up shivering motions, and monitors temperature changes.

All that data gets uploaded to an accompanying cloud service so you can view graphs and reports on your dog's activities.… Read more

Nanotech device could step in for dogs to sniff out explosives

When it comes to detecting a wide range of extremely faint scents, including the primary vapor that emanates from TNT-based explosives, dogs are the gold standard. But researchers out of the University of California at Santa Barbara, report in the journal Analytical Chemistry that they just may have man's best friend beat -- in the form of a fingerprint-sized silicon microchip.

"Like a person, a dog can have a good day or a bad day, get tired or distracted," Carl Meinhart, a mechanical engineering professor who led the research, said in a school news release. "We … Read more

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