At CES 2019 in Las Vegas this week, New York-based startup GotYu is claiming the world’s first health monitoring implant for pets. A microchip measuring just 5.8mm x 19mm, is implanted by a vet under the skin, promises to monitor the dog’s body temperature, pulse and ECG.
The team has also developed a solution for remote continuous charging of the implant from a smartphone or from the GPS and GotYu activity tracker released two years ago.
Microchips have been implanted in pets for more than 20 years, but for the first time they are moving beyond mere identification information that is read off a scanner held in proximity to the pet. Health indicators were a little more complex.
“Before, companies tried to solve pet health monitoring problem placing sensors in smart collars,” says Andrei Kashuba, the company’s chief technology officer, who calls himself an “implant ideologist”.
“However, animals have dense hair, which distorts and sometimes makes it impossible to read health indicators. With our implanted micro-gadget, we can achieve stable health monitoring and prevent the development of up to 65% of diseases.
“The sensors transmit scanned information to our app, where it is analysed and pet owners are given basic recommendations or alerts in case a disease risk is detected.”
Vets will also have access to the log, or the accumulated history of the health indicators. In future, says Kashuba, the company plans to add glucose sensors and provide vets with a diabetes monitoring tool,
* Implant activists can check out the health monitoring device at the Sands, Eureka Park, booth #52744 or visit www.gotyu.tech.
