With an anxious pup prone to separation anxiety, leaving the home can be as rough on a human as it is on the dog. But an autonomous robot with loads of smart features intended to care for your dog when you’re not around has arrived at CES 2024.
We got a first look at the pet companion that aims to provide endless entertainment, attention, food and comfort when you’re unable to. The brand-new Oro Dog Companion Robot retails for $799, and inventory will begin shipping in April.
The Oro is built with advanced AI, founder, Divye Bhutani told told me, as the Oro robot waited obediently beside us at the brand’s CES booth. The smart bot pet nanny is fitted with two-way audio and an interactive video screen so you can interact live with your dog from anywhere. It even allows you to capture images and videos to share with friends or on social media.
Oro may be the world’s smartest pet care system. I met the robot nanny at CES 2024.
A built-in dispenser launches nibbles at that good boy or girl on your command, and a separate but integrated automatic food bowl releases food on schedule or on command if you’re away during your pet’s regular feeding time.
Feed your dog on command and from afar with the integrated dog bowl.
A ball thrower housed in Oro’s middle will play fetch for as long as your canine can keep up, so long as you can train them to bring the ball back. (My terrier has yet to master this skill.) Oro can also navigate the home autonomously using an advanced camera and lidar-based mapping system to tag along with your pup and keep you abreast of any action.
But perhaps most impressive is Oro’s advanced AI learning that gets to know your four-legged pal. The robot companion is meant to learn your dog’s behavior patterns and snap into action with soothing music or physical interaction when it senses distress, restlessness or the desire to play. And because distress manifests differently in different dogs and breeds, Oro comes programmed to recognize audible and physical signs of distress in 10 of the most popular domestic dog breeds.
If Oro can’t solve the issue on its own, it will alert you remotely to your dog’s most pressing needs.
And if you’re not sure when Spot or Sadie is due for their next rabies shot or dose of heartworm medicine, the integrated Oro app diligently records and tracks health documents and medical records so you never fall behind.
The pet companion robot was present but not in action at the big consumer tech show in Vegas this week. Frankly, we can’t wait to see it do its thing.
