Pets

Voyce collar lets you keep tabs on your dog

Voyce collar lets you keep tabs on your dog
The Voyce wearable health band for dogs from i4C Innovations (Photo: Ben Coxworth/Gizmag)
The Voyce wearable health band for dogs from i4C Innovations (Photo: Ben Coxworth/Gizmag)
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The Voyce wearable health band for dogs from i4C Innovations (Photo: Ben Coxworth/Gizmag)
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The Voyce wearable health band for dogs from i4C Innovations (Photo: Ben Coxworth/Gizmag)
(Photo: Ben Coxworth/Gizmag)
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(Photo: Ben Coxworth/Gizmag)
A happy, healthy dog wearing the Voyce health band at CE Week in New York (Photo: Ben Coxworth/Gizmag)
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A happy, healthy dog wearing the Voyce health band at CE Week in New York (Photo: Ben Coxworth/Gizmag)
The Voyce health band is adjustable to fit neck sizes between 12 and 32 inches
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The Voyce health band is adjustable to fit neck sizes between 12 and 32 inches
The Voyce monitors a dog's key vital health signs, such as heart and respiratory rates at rest, activity levels, calories burned, and other wellness indicators
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The Voyce monitors a dog's key vital health signs, such as heart and respiratory rates at rest, activity levels, calories burned, and other wellness indicators
The system allows animal health professionals to dig deep into the routines, exercise patterns and overall condition of a Voyce-monitored dog
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The system allows animal health professionals to dig deep into the routines, exercise patterns and overall condition of a Voyce-monitored dog
There's a multi-function button to the front, and an status LED indicator next door
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There's a multi-function button to the front, and an status LED indicator next door
The device logs health and activity levels each day, providing a better understanding of a dog's behavior, diet, exercise patterns and habits to help keep a pooch in tip-top condition
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The device logs health and activity levels each day, providing a better understanding of a dog's behavior, diet, exercise patterns and habits to help keep a pooch in tip-top condition
A dog's personal portfolio is available via a browser-based interface on an owner's PC or mobile device over 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
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A dog's personal portfolio is available via a browser-based interface on an owner's PC or mobile device over 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
Screen showing the respiratory rate logged over time
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Screen showing the respiratory rate logged over time
The summarized vet view of the browser-based interface
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The summarized vet view of the browser-based interface
Subscribers are given access to exclusive content and tools authored by top canine experts
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Subscribers are given access to exclusive content and tools authored by top canine experts
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Though we'd all like to believe that we'd know when something's not quite right with our four-legged friends, a helping hand wouldn't go amiss. At CE Week in New York today Gizmag was introduced to the Voyce wearable health band and supporting service that help keep track of a dog's health and habits.

i4C Innovations says that the proprietary technology used in its Voyce wearable collar was developed in collaboration with biomedical engineers, dog experts and Cornell University. The first part of the company's three part approach involves using the health band to get a clearer picture of your best friend's health and habits.

The band is adjustable to fit neck sizes between 12 and 32 inches (30.5 - 81 cm), weighs less than 6 oz (170 g), including the strap, and is IP67-rated against ingress from dust and water. There's a multi-function button to the front, and an LED status indicator next door. Inside is a 3-axis accelerometer, an onboard microcontroller to process the proprietary data analysis algorithms, and a Li-Pol battery that's estimated to last for up to a week before needing to charged via micro-USB.

A happy, healthy dog wearing the Voyce health band at CE Week in New York (Photo: Ben Coxworth/Gizmag)
A happy, healthy dog wearing the Voyce health band at CE Week in New York (Photo: Ben Coxworth/Gizmag)

Like the similar PetPace collar, the tech monitors a dog's key vital health signs, such as heart and respiratory rates at rest, activity levels, calories burned, and other wellness indicators.

The device logs health and activity levels each day, providing a better understanding of a dog's behavior, diet, exercise patterns and habits to help keep the wet-nosed family member in tip-top condition. It allows canine guardians to keep track of trends and look for changes that could indicate pending problems. The dog's own personal portfolio is made available via a browser-based interface on an owner's PC or mobile device over 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi.

"When you first set-up the Voyce band, there are a few easy steps to configure Voyce to your home Wi-Fi network," i4C's Emily Hartman told Gizmag. "Voyce can be configured to up to 10 Wi-Fi networks. Once Voyce is configured, it will sync periodically automatically. Using the button on the front of the Voyce band the user may also force a sync if they choose too. Once the data is synced, proprietary algorithms interrupt the data and then make it available in the secure member’s portal where the pet parent can easily access it virtually anytime and anywhere."

Subscribers to the service will also be sent tips, reminders, advice and links to relevant reading, including exclusive content and tools authored by top canine experts like Dr. Alexandra Horowitz and Dr. Andy Roark.

The system allows animal health professionals to dig deep into the routines, exercise patterns and overall condition of a Voyce-monitored dog
The system allows animal health professionals to dig deep into the routines, exercise patterns and overall condition of a Voyce-monitored dog

The system also allows animal health professionals to dig deep into the routines, exercise patterns and overall condition of a Voyce-monitored dog, helping vets to see exactly what's happening between visits.

The Voyce wearable health band is due for launch later this (northern) summer for US$299, plus a monthly membership fee of $15.

The Voyce system is introduced in the video below.

Source: Voyce

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1 comment
1 comment
Griffin
Oh, I just use the "Find my iPhone" feature on his cell phone.
Of course, I think that he has learned to disable that feature when he sneaks out to go gallivanting...