What Has Your Dog Been Up To All Day? New App Hachiko Can Monitor Its Activity, Meals

By Penina Graubart, NoCamels November 17, 2015 3 minutes

Young woman holding a puppy via Hachiko's Facebook Page

You sprint home from work to make sure he’s fine. You consider him your best friend. Yet, you don’t have the slightest idea what he’s been up to while you were away.

That is, until now. Israeli startup company Hachiko Technologies recently launched a smart sensor for dogs, allowing ‘dog parents’ to spy on their pets. The smart sensor, attached to the collar, along with a free mobile app called HachikoApp, allows dog caregivers to easily monitor the daily life and behavior of their dog.

A dog wearing the Hachiko sensor via Hachiko’s Facebook Page

Based in Tel Aviv, Hachiko is now available in several countries around the world, including the US and the UK. The seven-employee company was founded in 2014, and has so far raised $2 million from AOL and seed-stage venture capital firm BetaWork.

The Hachiko namesake comes from the true story of the famous Japanese dog that waited for his owner every day at the train station to come home from work, and continued to do so for nine years after the owner passed away.

A stylish, waterproof sensor for your canine companion

Founded by Hod Fleishman, Effie Arditi and Zohar Fox, Hachiko has developed a stylish sensor that effortlessly attaches to all collars and harnesses. The sensor is waterproof and comes in six different colors. It monitors and records information and transmits it to the app for the owner and other caregivers to easily see on the go.

The app includes features that let caregivers know the actions of their dog. Information includes how many steps they have taken, where they have walked, what they have eaten, how much they have drunk, and which caregiver have watched over them.

Hachiko app and dog sensor via Hachiko’s Facebook Page

Fleishman identified three main types of dog parents that would greatly benefit from Hachiko’s product. The first type of customers is people whose dogs suffer from obesity. They love their dog so much that they feed them an excess amount and their dog becomes overweight. These owners could use the sensor and app to monitor their dog for better feeding and exercise.

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The second group of customers consists of people who are highly active with their dogs. They are constantly taking them on walks and hikes and want to be able to measure the activity of their dogs, similar to how they measure their own diet and exercise with apps like Fitbit.

The final group can be defined as ‘helicopter parents of dogs.’ These are dog parents who have a burning need to know every little bit of information about their dog’s day.

“Hachiko complements the relationship between a dog and its parent”

According to Hachiko Technologies, what sets them apart from their competition – apps such as PetPace and WÜF – is the mission to create a mass-scale product to better the relationship between dogs and their owners.

This is implemented in three main ways: The price, the sensor’s battery life, and the tailored application. It took the Hachiko team quite a bit of time to develop a device that they could sell for under $50 and yet still be profitable. The team succeeded in this goal, as their sensor costs $40.

According to Fleishman, most wearable technologies lose battery fairly quickly; however, Hachiko’s battery was developed with technology that allows it to be charged for 12 months.

In addition, the Hachiko team spends much time analyzing and collecting data to understand the dog’s and parent’s behavior in order to provide app users with relevant information. The app, therefore, is not generic; the more one uses the application, the more it adjusts to how the parent and dog live their life.

“It’s not about technology or business; it is about gaining a deep understanding of the users,” Fleishman tells NoCamels. “We love dogs and people, and we appreciate the relationship between them. Our technology complements this relationship.”