CM Final Project: Smarter Cat Toy

Final CM Project: A Smarter Cat Toy

Concept

A responsive cat toy that satisfies the house cat’s natural need to hunt and behaves as a prey animal while simultaneously enhancing the relationship between cat and owner.

What does this require?

• Mobility

• Sensing

• Intelligence

• Realism

• Interaction

Mobility

The average mouse can run 8 mph(link to stat) and is incredibly agile. The toy will need to be able to mimic that kind of mobility.

This presents a challenge in how to robotically simulate this movement in a small, mouse sized container.

My Initial Thoughts

My initial thoughts were mouse shaped. (image of my initial design around a mouse) In trying to keep with that shape I considered a mobility method similar to the Hexbug Cat Toy.

I got one and tore it apart…

I got another for my cat.

To move around, it is just a motor…

That vibrates the little rubber feet of the mouse.

This method is great because it mimics the motion of a mouse as it runs. But has significant limitations in regards to speed and agility. After a time, she got bored.

It needed to be faster and quicker…

Moving Past Mouse Shaped

In discussing the issue of mobility with a classmate, he showed me the Sphero toy.

This amazing thing was durable, fast, and agile.

Maybe the toy doesn’t have to be mouse shaped. Maybe it could be a sphere.

From what I can tell from the image, it appears to basically be a small Segway.

If it could be miniaturized…

Next Steps

1. Aquire a Sphero
2. Contact Sphero (They are in Boulder!)
3. See if they are interested in working with
4. Tear Sphero apart, see if it can be made smaller

## Sensing Prey knows when it is being attacked and killed. So the toy will need to as well.

My Initial Thoughts

Research into how to do this is…in it’s early stages. But I imagine that pressure sensors on the inside of the sphere like this pad…

or this cloth…

coupled with an accelerometer…

could be used toinform the toy when it is in peril.

Next Steps

1. Aquire and experiment with different sensors.

## Intelligence Prey is crafty in how it evades and escapes. The toy needs to mimic that behavior.

Using a small controller like an Arduino…

Or a Raspberry Pi…

logic can be programmed in to give the toy the necessary behavior.

Next Steps

1. Aquire Arduino and/or Raspberry Pi
2. Learn how to use them
3. Boil down key if-then behaviors

Realism

To provide the cat as authentic experience as possible the toy needs to be made from material that can best simulate a real mouse.

The core of the toy can be a platform that any ‘skin’ can be applied to. Similar to the different skins that can be applied to a Sphero.

The skin for this toy would need to be something tough like leather with a fur housed over it. It could even have a tail.

Next Steps

1. Design the skin
2. Determine the material used to make the skin

Interaction

Part of the purpose of the toy is to enhance the relationship between owner and pet. Through a remote control of the toy cat and owner can engage in a unique and fun way for both.

Arduino and Raspberry Pi both offer wifi and bluetooth connectivity and through an app owner can take control.

Next Steps

1. Brainstorm App design
2. Work with Sphero to see how they connect and control

Project Status

Still in it’s very early stages. My best chance at a prototype is to work backwards from a Sphero Spark. Try to add behavior and a skin to it, modeling how the toy could work. Still lots to learn.