• by Chase Martin , January 6, 2017

IoT devices extend beyond humans at CES, with more than one brand showcasing connected pet products this week.

In addition to brands with products already on the market, such as a connected food dispenser from Petnet and crowd-sourcing pet tracker from Poof, new devices just launched include a connected treat dispenser and camera from Petcube and location and activity tracking wearable from Whistle.

Petcube Bites is a Wi-Fi camera and treat dispenser that enables pet owners to see, hear and remotely engage with their pets. The dispenser holds two pounds of treats, which can be ejected remotely, and can automatically order more treats from Amazon when it runs low.

“We’ve seen huge growth in the space, providing validation of how technology can shape the way we interact with our pets,” said Yaroslav Azhnyuk, CEO and co-founder of Petcube.

Similar to other Wi-Fi cameras on the market, the camera can automatically detect sound and motion and send notifications to the owner, as well as pass audio through both ways so the owner can speak to and hear the pet remotely.

On the wearables side, Whistle brings cellular connectivity to its pet-tracking device.

The device, which previously relied on GPS for location, now also uses Wi-Fi and cellular connections together to locate a pet at any time.

“Our goal with Whistle 3 is to make the world of pet care smarter and more responsible, so pet owners can have peace of mind while they focus on the best parts of sharing life with a pet,” said Ben Jacobs, CEO and co-founder of Whistle.

Pet owners can set geofences through the Whistle smartphone app, which trigger a notification if the pet leaves a defined area.

Activity and sleep tracking also is integrated, which can be linked to the type of pet for personalized insights.

“With the largest database of pet location and activity data, Whistle can better understand how to prevent the biggest risks our pets face, like loss and obesity-related illnesses,” Jacobs said.

Whistle’s location tracking is subscription-based and runs on a 3G network in the U.S.