Two Swiss brothers from ETH Zurich have developed an intelligent cat flap that only opens when the right cat is at the door or window – and has no mouse or bird in its mouth. Oliver and Denis Widler’s soon-to-be-available “Flappie” cat flap combines artificial intelligence with an integrated prey recognition system, the university announced on Wednesday.
The hatch is based on a sophisticated night vision system with motion detector, infrared camera and infrared lighting. A specially developed algorithm automatically checks whether the cat has something in its mouth. If living or dead prey is recognized, the cat – along with the bird, mouse or snake – remains excluded.
Contrary to popular belief, cats are amazingly intelligent, Oliver Widler said in the statement. Her two house cats and other lab animals soon learned to let go of their prey if they wanted to enter.
Mother gave brothers an idea
Apparently, the Widler twins have always enjoyed crafting. One of them placed a bell in his room at the age of ten to warn him about his parents. The idea for the smart cat flap came from her mother, Oliver Widler explains in the statement. She also had to clean up the souvenirs that the two house cats brought most often.
According to the two founders of the start-up Flappie Technologies, the smart flap can also deepen the bond with a cat. They’ve developed a doorstep app that provides photos and videos of the cat, even when it’s dark. “This way, pet owners can observe the unique and humorous behavior of their darlings.” There are also statistics for numbers people.
The smart valve doesn’t come cheap, though: it’s currently available for pre-order on the flappie.ch website for 299 Swiss francs – almost 304 euros. The normal price is 449 francs, the equivalent of about 456 euros. The cat flap should then be available from late autumn.
Source: Krone
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