When those currently of a certain age were watching Star Trek back in the 60's, the technology looked so incredibly futuristic. It didn't seem possible that it could become a reality for several centuries. Those nifty hand-held communicators looked particularly amazing at a time when a telephone was a large lump of plastic with a dial that was plugged into the wall!
But technology has advanced at a ridiculous pace. We have been using mobile phones for years and teleportation doesn't seem like such an unlikely concept anymore! Wearable technology is certainly playing an increasing role in our lives. New gadgets and gizmos appear on a daily basis and many of the latest devices have been developed for pets.
Wearable tech looks set to change the way that we care for our animals. So what technology could your pet be wearing in the near future?
Pet Cameras
Wearable cameras for pets are already available and enable you to track your furry friend's activity. This could be very useful if you fancy turning them into social media stars. More importantly, the cameras could help you to monitor the performance of your dog walker or to discover why your cat is becoming obese in spite of the healthy diet that you are feeding it.
Activity Monitors
There are currently many monitors on the market which will track how much exercise your pooch is receiving and whether they get enough sleep. Both aspects of their lives can impact their health and the monitors could reveal the early symptoms of illness. The available devices include the PitPat, the WonderWoof bowtie and FitBark.
These monitors can also be used by insurance companies to assess your pet's lifestyle. Insurance premiums have been rising as pets have become more obese. Unhealthy pets mean higher vets bills. Healthier pets might mean lower insurance premiums for their owners. The monitors will also provide data which can be used to understand why certain health conditions affect some breeds more than others.
GPS Trackers
There are a wide range of trackers on the market and these use GPS to identify the whereabouts of your pet. Some of these device create a virtual fence and will alert you when your pet steps beyond a certain boundary. The Motorola Scout enables you to talk to your pet remotely and with Tabcat you can train your cat to return home when you beep the device!
Pet Emotion Sensors
This technology is still in development but it is coming! You will be able to tell whether or not your dog is happy. The devices will use a heart rate monitor to detect your pet's mood or a tail belt to assess wagginess!
Pet-to-Human Translators
A variety of translation devices are currently in development and their creators claim that they will be able to translate your dog's bark or even its brain waves into human language. It remains to be seen whether or not this technology can be made to work in the real world.
It might be while before we can teleport our pets to the vet and back but we can already talk tothem when they are out about and monitor where they have been. Technology is moving forward at a rapid pace so who knows what will be possible in the future. Hopefully someone will invent a device which trains pets to do the washing up!