Have you ever been playing a multiplayer game and thought "my dog could do better than my teammates"? Well, thanks to UK startup Joipaw, that might soon be a reality. The company describes its product as "the first holistic dog health tracking platform", but it's essentially a video game console intended for dogs.
Research has shown that games can have tangible benefits on human literacy and mental health, but there's also research that suggests gaming could have benefits for dogs, especially those with aging brains or dementia. That's where Joipaw comes in; it's intended to help your dog "live a longer, healthier and happier life".
Here's how it works. Joipaw consists of a touchscreen interface for your dog (don't worry, it's saliva-proof), as well as a treat dispenser, a microphone, a camera, and a set of speakers. Your dog must play a series of games in order to get the Joipaw to dispense treats, and there are a range of games available for your little friend to play. You can check out a trailer for Joipaw, which demonstrates the concept pretty well, here.
As well as the console itself, there's also a fitness tracker included, which will show you a record of your dog's physical activity. Think Fitbit for dogs, but with added gaming, and you're most of the way there. As you'd expect, there's a companion app that lets you view your dog's activity, see trends, and receive health alerts and other useful info.
Joipaw is adorable, but it's also got some science behind it. Studies have shown that dogs could benefit from playing simple touchscreen games; it could improve their cognition, and as they age, keep their minds sharp. The research on this is still in its relative infancy, but Joipaw science advisor Clara Mancini says it's "very promising".
There's no release date for Joipaw on the horizon just yet. Co-founder Dersim Avdar says there's more work to be done before it's released, including figuring out a pricing model and potential subscription for games. Avdar also says other games are in the works, including a rather intriguing-sounding one about a hedgehog that lets you face off against your dog. One possible future? A global scoreboard, which could lead to "dog esports." The days when dogs flame each other in League of Legends surely cannot be far away.
Thanks, Axios.
