The goal of our studio was to think of different technologies houses might use in the future. In exploring this topic, my partners and I made a pet toy that has the ability to play with a pet when its owner is not present.

How much free time do you have to play with your pet? We created the robotic pet toy for busy pet owners who don't have enough time in the day to set aside an hour or two to play with their dog or cat. Our toy will play with a pet even when their owner isn't present, letting the owner worry about one less thing while at the same time providing entertainment for the animal.

There are two parts of the robotic pet toy. One of them is a ball which is able to roll around by itself without needing physical contact from a human. Inside the ball, there are two motors which make the ball move as well as an accelerometer which is able to sense the position of the ball: is it moving, being pushed, or stationary? The way the ball works is it remains stationary until an animal nudges it. When the ball senses the motion with an accelerometer inside the ball, it triggers the motors inside the ball which are activated, making the ball move around.