SnapPet
A smart care system featuring a suite of tools that helps pet parents holistically care for their four-legged kids while they’re away.
8 months Design Thesis project
Advisor: Mark Baskinger
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I N T R O D U C T I O N
There is a major gap in understanding between owners and their pet(s) when providing care
Many people have pets they consider family. Pet owners often face significant challenges in coordinating balanced care due to the time investment and the need for diverse knowledge and responsibilities. Providing care is further complicated by a significant gap in understanding between owners and their pets, which only grows when owners are away. While the pet industry has focused on supporting remote care activities, most products promote passive care and fail to address the multifaceted nature of pet care.
This project explores opportunities for Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to bridge this gap by enabling more engaged, integrated, and informed pet care across physical distances. The concept of SnapPet envisions an ecosystem of digital tools, powered by computer vision and machine learning technologies, to support ideal pet care remotely.
Five types of care domains for pets defined from Farm Animal Welfare Committee
*Competitive landscape that highlights how each product
provides pet care across five care domains
T H E O P P O R T U N I T Y
What would be the opportunities for the Internet of Things (IoT) Technologies in pet care? And how might it be applied to provide more engaged and empathetic pet care at a distance?
The Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized healthcare. Design and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) communities are now exploring how IoT technologies can support remote care by monitoring and tracking pets' behaviors and conditions. The pet industry has also introduced numerous products that enable pet owners to monitor and interact with their pets remotely.
However, many products only offer fragmented data points rather than a fully connected service, leaving pet owners to interpret individual aspects of their pet’s health and behavior on their own. In particular, products designed for remote pet care often focus on passive care and fail to address the multiple dimensions of a pet’s overall health.
T H E A P P R O A C H
Integrated Smart System for Remote Care Activities
SnapPet introduces a new approach to remote pet care through a connected network of a camera, smart socket, smart collar, and mobile app for integrated and informed care. Powered by AI, the camera and smart collar monitor and analyze the pet's status over time. Through the SnapPet ecosystem, users can understand their pet's well-being in real-time and provide appropriate care, even when away from home. Key events and activity data are stored in digital archives, a feature not currently supported by other pet products or services.
B E H I N D T H E S C E N E
SnapPet System
The SnapPet ecosystem helps owners understand their dog’s behavior through three steps: Detect, Interpret, and Predict. The camera detects objects and actions, analyzing behavior using a training model. SnapPet identifies the behavior while considering the pet’s age, breed, and real-time health data—such as activity, heart rate, and body temperature—sensed from the collar.
If attention is needed, the system captures a live photo of the scene for the digital archive. For recurring behaviors, it records only the duration and frequency.
Finally, SnapPet predicts if urgent care is required, sending push notifications during emergencies, enabling real-time monitoring, and allowing owners to call for help if needed.
T H E D E S I G N
SnapPet App
The mobile app plays a crucial role in SnapPet's ecosystem, designed to be friendly, visually engaging, and incredibly simple, yet robust enough to deliver critical information that helps owners better care for their pets.
Snapshot of your pet’s day
The main page displays the pet's current status and snapshots of key behaviors, along with tips or guidance on how to address them. Connect button allows owners to monitor their pet in real-time and share the camera view with others. In case of an emergency, the tone changes to alert the owner.
Key behavior with useful information
From the main page, owners can view key behaviors of the day along with their time and duration. A link to a relevant article is included to help guide owners in providing appropriate care.
Pet’s wellness at a glance
The dashboard provides key insights and near real-time data on a pet’s health status. Detailed pages offer an in-depth view of the pet’s condition over time, covering both quality and quantity. Personalized activity recommendations are included to help owners keep their pets healthy.
Remote care at the right moment
SnapPet’s ecosystem identifies unusual states, such as heightened anxiety or elevated body temperature, empowering owners to deliver research-based care activities remotely. Owners can also schedule events at specific times to help soothe or engage their pets.
Archive important moments
The archives contain live photos captured by the camera, organized chronologically and searchable by keywords or dates. These photos can aid veterinarians in diagnosing potential issues or health concerns.
Connect with your pet anytime, anywhere
SnapPet's ecosystem allows owners to monitor their pet in real-time and provide care tailored to the pet's condition, such as turning on the TV or AC. In emergencies, it delivers essential information to guide decision-making and enables seamless connections with a vet or trusted contact for assistance.
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T H E R E S E A R C H
Double Diamond & Speculative Design Process
F I R S T P H A S E
Understand the Challenges
Four major pain points in pet ownership were identified during the discovery and understanding phase.
1. Hard to understand the pet's signal
Providing appropriate care during critical periods is essential to ensure a dog’s well-being. However, owners often misinterpret their pet’s signals, leading to mistakes. This challenge becomes even greater in remote situations, where distance creates additional blind spots.
2. Hard to keep up the daily routine care for the pet's lifetime
Unlike a human baby who grows into an autonomous individual, dogs rely on care throughout their lives. Owners often struggle to maintain and remember care routines over the years, making it difficult to keep their pets healthy.
Care intensity map created based on literature review & expert interview
3. Hard to gain qualified info to provide appropriate care
Owners often struggle to provide appropriate care due to a lack of reliable information about care activities. Experts note that many owners make misinformed decisions because they rely on unverified or inaccurate sources.
4. Hard to take proper actions early on to minimize potential health issues
Cost of care is one of the most challenging aspects of pet ownership. As a strategy, veterinarians recommend that owners monitor their pet's health closely and take proactive steps early. This approach helps prevent potential health or behavior issues.
S E C O N D P H A S E
IoT Opportunity in Remote Pet Care
Research findings highlight the need for more engaged and empathetic pet care due to the gap in understanding between owners and their pets. This gap often widens, and challenges are amplified in remote situations. While the pet industry has been adopting emerging IoT technologies to support remote care, many products still fall short of offering holistic care through a fully connected system.
T H I R D P H A S E
Ideation
Drawing from findings and opportunity spaces for IoT technologies, I began exploring initial design concepts using the speculative design process, which examines present-day signals to envision possible, plausible, preferable, and probable futures by asking "what if" questions. To validate these concepts, I conducted speed-dating sessions with dog owners, both in person and via video chat. The most promising concept was further developed and refined through iterative user testing.
Tech Validation
I’ve validated YOLO - the cutting-edge real object recognition system - to gauge the current state of detection and how the final design can be implemented in the near future. YOLO was showcased during the live demo to help understanding how SnapPet’s integrated ecosystem works.
