Mousr – intelligent robotic cat toy

Petronics is Kickstarter funding its cat toy that will behave like prey in the wild.

David Jun, Dave Cohen and Michael Friedman saw an opportunity for product improvement. They noticed that cat toys were sometimes programmed with random behaviors but also knew that cats didn’t want random movement. Cats wanted their toys to act like prey – prey reacts to being hunted, and they decided the perfect cat toy would also react.

Mousr is their solution – a robotic cat toy that allows the cat to engage in its natural hunting patterns. As PhD students studying electrical engineering at the University of Illinois the team they worked on the development of the toy and its intelligent movement.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/525985345/mousr-the-robotic-mouse-that-plays-with-your-cat

The bot is equipped with 360 degree vision to detect the cat’s approach from any direction. Motion sensors allow Mousr to know when the cat is approaching and also if it has been caught by the cat.

The project itself seems fully developed and polished. Gif files on the campaign page show incredibly detailed progressions of both the hardware and design iterations. Design and promotional materials are all over the Kickstarter page and the company’s website.

A smartphone app allows a pet owner to control Mousr itself – playing with your cat is now a combination of video game and fighting robot. The team spent three months in China developing manufacturer relationships and refining the sensor technology.

The intelligence built into the software will allow Mousr to learn specific behaviors of one cat and then adapt to it over time. Different cats will exhibit different behaviors and will also interact differently with the robot.

Physically the design of the body is also built to be interactive and evolving. Different tails can be attached so your cat thinks it’s chasing a different animal every week or month. Mousr’s eyes tell you if he’s in hunted mode or needs more battery. A hidden speaker can attract your cat to start a new round of hunting.

Mousr is an incredibly high tech robot built for a very specific purpose. The campaign video is well done but incredibly irreverent while still giving the important information. This is definitely the first time I’ve seen a rap involving three PhDs and a robotic mouse.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/525985345/mousr-the-robotic-mouse-that-plays-with-your-cat