, , , , , , ,

The Flappie AI cat door stops your pet from gifting you dead mice

Finding weird pet-related technology is a CES tradition, and this year is no exception. Take Flappie, for example. The Swiss start-up is showing off an AI-powered cat door that automatically locks if your kitty tries to bring in prey it caught from the outside. 

On the side of the door facing the outside, you’ll find a motion sensor and night-vision camera. Flappie says it has compiled a “unique and proprietary” dataset over the years, with a focus on diversity — this means getting lots of different kinds of cats as well as prey, filmed in a variety of different lighting conditions. The company says that its AI-powered detection system is accurate more than 90 percent of the time, which means your cat could still get a mouse inside. But hopefully that’ll happen a lot less frequently. 

There are some manual switches on the inside of the door so you can lock and unlock it any time you want as well as turn off the prey-detection system. Eventually, Flappie says that pets are likely to be trained that they can’t enter when carrying something, and when they drop the prey the door will promptly unlock so they can get inside. (One of Flappie’s co-founders admitted that a smart cat might figure out to drop the mouse, get the door open, pick it back up and then run in. But no solution is foolproof, right?)

Flappie cat door
Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Flappie also included chip detection in its cat door. So if your pet has been microchipped, you can make it so the cat door only opens for your specific pet. And, of course, there’s an app so you can control the door from your phone. But if you’re not inclined to hook the Flappie door up to the internet, it’ll still work via the controls on the door itself. 

For starters, Flappie plans to launch its pet door in Switzerland and Germany later this spring, with plans to expand from there once it gets production scaled up. A US launch is part of the roadmap, but there’s no word yet on when that’ll happen, or how much the Flappie door might cost when it gets here. But a CES newsletter focused on Swiss tech companies says that Flappie will cost $399, or $199 with a two-year $8.90 monthly subscription to the app so you can see all the videos the door records of your pet.

Update, January 8, 2024 12:45 PM ET: We’ve added pricing details on the Flappie to this story.

We’re reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-flappie-ai-cat-door-stops-your-pet-from-gifting-you-dead-mice-033237654.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/the-flappie-ai-cat-door-stops-your-pet-from-gifting-you-dead-mice-033237654.html?src=rss


January 2025
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  

About Us

Welcome to encircle News! We are a cutting-edge technology news company that is dedicated to bringing you the latest and greatest in everything tech. From automobiles to drones, software to hardware, we’ve got you covered.

At encircle News, we believe that technology is more than just a tool, it’s a way of life. And we’re here to help you stay on top of all the latest trends and developments in this ever-evolving field. We know that technology is constantly changing, and that can be overwhelming, but we’re here to make it easy for you to keep up.

We’re a team of tech enthusiasts who are passionate about everything tech and love to share our knowledge with others. We believe that technology should be accessible to everyone, and we’re here to make sure it is. Our mission is to provide you with fun, engaging, and informative content that helps you to understand and embrace the latest technologies.

From the newest cars on the road to the latest drones taking to the skies, we’ve got you covered. We also dive deep into the world of software and hardware, bringing you the latest updates on everything from operating systems to processors.

So whether you’re a tech enthusiast, a business professional, or just someone who wants to stay up-to-date on the latest advancements in technology, encircle News is the place for you. Join us on this exciting journey and be a part of shaping the future.

Podcasts

TWiT 1013: Calamari in Crisis – Touching the Sun, Fake Spotify Artists, Banished Words This Week in Tech (Audio)

Touching the Sun, Fake Spotify Artists, Banished Words AI Needs So Much Power, It's Making Yours Worse How many billions Big Tech spent on AI data centers in 2024 NASA Spacecraft 'Touches Sun' In Defining Moment For Humankind Elon Musk Calls Out NASA's Moon Ambitions: 'We're Going Straight to Mars' Elon Musk and the right's war on Wikipedia Trump Asks Supreme Court to Pause Law Threatening TikTok Ban US Treasury says Chinese hackers stole documents in 'major incident' Judge blocks parts of California bid to protect kids from social media Finland probes Russian shadow fleet oil tanker after cable-cutting incident US appeals court blocks Biden administration effort to restore net-neutrality rules The Ghosts in the Machine (fake spotify artists) Massive VW Data Leak Exposed 800,000 EV Owners' Movements, From Homes To Brothels Banished Words | Lake Superior State University 2025 Public Domain Day 2025 Happy Birthday, Bitcoin! The top cryptocurrency is old enough to drive End of the lines? QR-style codes could replace barcodes 'within two years' Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Richard Campbell, Anthony Ha, and Stacey Higginbotham Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: ZipRecruiter.com/Twit joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT canary.tools/twit – use code: TWIT zscaler.com/security
  1. TWiT 1013: Calamari in Crisis – Touching the Sun, Fake Spotify Artists, Banished Words
  2. TWiT 1012: Our Best Of 2024 – The Best Moments From TWiT's 2024
  3. TWiT 1011: The Year in Review – A Look at the Top Stories of 2024
  4. TWiT 1010: The Densest State in the US – TikTok Ban, Drones Over Jersey, GM Quits Robotaxis
  5. TWiT 1009: Andy Giveth & Bill Taketh Away – Trump's Tech Titans, Crypto Boom, TikTok's US Ban, Intel CEO Exits