Remote Animal Care Robot with Wireless Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Animal owners face challenges in providing adequate care for their pets when geographically distant, leading to potential harm or death due to lack of proper attention, as existing solutions are inadequate for remote management of animal needs such as feeding, watering, and medication.
Innovation Solution
A remote-controlled animal care system that includes a mobile housing unit equipped with wireless communication, food, water, and medicine storage, along with an internal electronic fence transceiver, allowing for remote monitoring and automated care tasks like feeding, walking, and providing medication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the owner is geographically distant from the animal, then the owner cannot provide direct care, but the animal may suffer from lack of proper care
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a remote-controlled animal care device as an intermediary between the owner and the animal. The device includes storage portions for food, water, and medicine, along with dispensing mechanisms that can be controlled remotely via wireless communication. This intermediary allows the owner to provide care without being physically present, resolving the contradiction between geographical distance and care reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is designed to autonomously dispense food, water, and medicine to the animal based on remote commands or pre-programmed schedules. The mobility portion enables the device to move independently to deliver care, reducing the need for continuous owner intervention while maintaining care reliability.
2Reliability
If third-party providers are used for animal care, then the owner can be geographically distant, but the animal may be harmed due to oversight
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates sensors and communication systems that provide real-time feedback to the owner about the animal's status, food/water levels, and medication administration. This feedback mechanism allows the owner to monitor care quality remotely, eliminating the need for third-party providers while maintaining care reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The device integrates multiple care functions (food dispensing, water provision, medication administration, monitoring) into a single universal system. This multi-functionality reduces the complexity of coordinating multiple third-party providers while ensuring comprehensive and reliable animal care.
3Extent of automation
If automated care devices are implemented, then remote monitoring is enabled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional modules: storage portions for different supplies, dispensing mechanisms, mobility portion with wheels, and control systems. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall structure by organizing complexity into manageable, interchangeable units.
Solution Approach 2:
The device replaces manual mechanical operations with automated electronic control systems. Wireless communication enables remote operation without complex mechanical linkages, and electronic motors replace manual pushing or pulling, reducing mechanical complexity while increasing automation.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for remote care of an animal includes a robotic animal caregiver that includes a housing, a wireless data communication system disposed within the housing and wirelessly communicatively coupled with an external data communications system, and a microprocessor in communication with the wireless data communication system disposed within the housing. The system further includes a smart collar to be worn by the animal operable to determine a geo-location and behavior information of the animal and communicate with the microprocessor.