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Besides some great wearables such as the AirVision M1 from ASUS or the world’s first “whispering ring“, CES 2024 is also offering an AI-powered smart door for your pet cat. Swiss start-up Flappie has introduced this smart cat door which automatically locks itself if your feline friend tries to bring in prey it caught from the outside.
The innovative cat door is equipped with a motion sensor and night-vision camera on the exterior side, reports Engadget. The smart door uses AI technologies that boast over 90 percent accuracy in identifying prey brought by the cat. Flappie aims to reduce the frequency of such incidents while providing a secure entry point for your pets.
The Flappie app enables you to remotely manage the cat door through your phone
The AI-powered cat door features manual switches on the interior side, allowing users to lock and unlock it at will and deactivate the prey-detection system. Flappie envisions that, over time, pets will accept the fact that they shouldn’t enter carrying something. Once they drop the prey, the door promptly unlocks, allowing them to enter. While acknowledging that clever cats might attempt to outsmart the system by dropping the prey, opening the door, picking it up again, and dashing inside, Flappie emphasizes the practicality and effectiveness of its solution.
To enhance security and personalize access, Flappie‘s cat door incorporates chip detection. It means that the door will be able to allow only your pet with a microchip and not any other animal. The system offers pet owners control through a dedicated app, enabling remote management via smartphones. For those who prefer not to connect the cat door to the internet, manual controls on the door itself provide a convenient alternative.
Flappie plans to launch its AI-powered cat door initially in Switzerland and Germany in the coming spring, with further expansion on the horizon as production scales up. While a US launch is part of Flappie’s roadmap, the company has not disclosed any specific details regarding timing and pricing for the said market.
Yet, a CES newsletter concentrating on Swiss tech companies indicates that Flappie plans to set the price of the AI-powered door at around $399 or offer it for $199 with a two-year $8.90 monthly subscription to the accompanying app, providing access to recorded videos of your pet’s activities.