While you're at work, your dog could be playing video games
A sensor lights up. You hit it. Another sensor lights up. You hit that one. A third sensor lights up and when you hit it you get a reward. No, I'm not describing Whack-A-Mole—it's CleverPet Hub, the first "gaming console" for dogs. (In the above hypothetical you are a dog.)
CleverPet Hub is an app-enabled device that uses light and sound games designed to entertain and challenge your furry friends. The sensors on the CleverPet Hub react to your dog's paw or nose pressing them and dispense food when they do it correctly. Games start easy and progress in difficulty as your pup gets the hang of things.
If your dog is the type that destroys everything he comes into contact with, the CleverPet Hub will apparently prove a formidable opponent. The Hub is durable enough that CleverPet claims no dogs have yet been able to break into it to steal food. Hopefully this will give your furniture a break.
Because the CleverPet Hub only dispenses one piece of kibble at a time, your dog isn't going to go overboard on food but it may take a little while to get him to figure it out. Many reviews on Amazon recommend using larger treats at the beginning.
The CleverPet Hub is marketed towards dog owners who feel guilty about leaving their dogs at home all day without anything to keep their mind engaged. For this reason, CleverPet Hub seems to work best with dogs that are already high-energy and food-motivated, but they still assert that "dogs of all temperaments and energy levels can play on the Hub."
CleverPet has an adorable YouTube channel with footage of real pets playing with with their Hub. This golden retriever puppy is too cute for words so just enjoy:
The CleverPet app allows you to turn the CleverPet on and off, or you can set a schedule for when to offer challenges. You can even set different hours for the week vs. the weekend. The app will also update you on how your pup is progressing through his challenges, and allow you to start a challenge over if you think he needs more practice.
Apparently the CleverPet trainers are still working on challenges to add to the Hub. They just recently pushed Color Match to the Hub for dogs who have worked through the more difficult games and are ready for a new challenge. In this game, dogs have to keep pressing sensors until they're all the same color. If you're like me and assumed dogs couldn't see color, this may be surprising. Here's some CleverPet scientists explaining what's up with that.
Mashable's Kellen Beck, who wrote about CleverPet when it was up for pre-sale at CES 2016, was impressed by the idea. The CleverPet Hub is available on Amazon now for $297.99.
Oh, and don't despair cat-owners. If YouTube is to be believed, cats can absolutely learn how to use CleverPet too.
According to twitter, Emily Heller is a fake geek girl and a SJW. If you ask her friends, she laughs too loud and cries at cute animal videos. Prior to Mashable, Emily wrote for CollegeHumor and Reductress and most recently worked at a very bro-y tech startup. She lives in Brooklyn with three dudes, a cat who acts like a dog and a dog who acts like a houseplant.
