Although you’ve been able to buy activity monitors for your pets for a few years, the Invoxia Smart Dog Collar (opens in new tab) takes the concept a step further, monitoring vital signs like heart rate and respiration while also doubling as a GPS tracker. The best part is that the collar is supposed to work through all different kinds of fur — so it shouldn’t matter if your dog has no hair, or so much floof that you’re not sure where the actual dog begins. That’s all thanks to the miniature radar sensors on the collar itself, which reflect off your dog’s skin to measure speed and movement. Those figures are then pumped into an algorithm to calculate heart and respiration rate. This system also means the collar can sit loosely, as a dog collar should, rather than having the tight fit human smartwatches need to take accurate readings. According to Invoxia, 10-20% of dogs are at risk of, or are already suffering from, a heart condition that’s difficult for your vet to diagnose. The Smart Dog Collar, which has been developed with collaboration from veterinary specialists, has been designed to give you a long-term way of monitoring your pet’s health. While these sorts of devices have been around for a while, the Invoxia Smart Collar beats most by including everything in a fairly small and attractive-looking package; no special vests to keep tabs on your dog’s health, and no bulky attachments. Obviously the built-in GPS is a huge benefit too, since it means you can track down your dog should they ever get lost. This feature also includes escape alerts, should your dog leave a pre-set area, a proximity radar, and a ‘lost mode’ that boosts the accuracy and update frequency of the built-in GPS. Invoxia also promises that the battery will last for “several weeks between recharges” — which is handy if you already forget to recharge your own fitness tracker, as I regularly do. The collar also tracks activity and sleep like any good pet-centric activity tracker, though that’s more of an added extra than a major selling point. The main downside is that the collar will only be available for medium and large dogs, because it’s difficult to miniaturize all the tech necessary to make such a device lightweight and comfortable for smaller pets. Still, if you have a suitable pooch that could use it, the collar is set to arrive this summer, with an estimated price tag of $99. However the GPS features will require a $12.99 monthly subscription.
