Remote Animal Care System with Automated Feeding and 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 monitoring and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A remote-controlled animal care system that includes a mobile housing unit with wireless communication, food, water, and medicine storage, and an internal electronic fence transceiver, allowing for remote monitoring and maintenance of animals through a connected network, enabling owners to provide care and attention from a distance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If animal owners are geographically distant from their animals, then they cannot provide direct care and attention, but this leads to lack of proper care and potential harm or death of animals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an automated animal care device as an intermediary between the remote owner and the animal. This device includes food storage and dispensing mechanisms, water storage and dispensing mechanisms, medicine storage and dispensing mechanisms, and monitoring systems that can detect animal conditions and alert owners. The intermediary device performs feeding, watering, medication, and monitoring functions automatically, allowing owners to provide care from a distance while ensuring animal welfare through automated reliability measures.
2Ease of operation
If third-party providers are contracted to care for animals, then owners can be geographically distant, but this leads to inadvertent or purposeful oversight and animal harm
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service functionality where the automated care device operates independently without requiring third-party human intervention. The device automatically dispenses food, water, and medicine according to programmed schedules, and its monitoring systems continuously track animal conditions and alert owners directly. This eliminates reliance on third-party providers and their potential for oversight, ensuring consistent care delivery through automated self-sufficient operation.
3Extent of automation
If automated animal care devices are implemented, then remote monitoring and maintenance is enabled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple care functions (food storage and dispensing, water storage and dispensing, medicine storage and dispensing, monitoring, and communication) into a single integrated automated device. By merging these functions into one unified system rather than separate devices, the patent reduces overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive automation capabilities. The integrated design allows centralized control and simplified interaction for remote owners.
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 information of the animal and communicate with the microprocessor.