Going away for a few days is definitely a welcome treat for anyone who has had a long week at work, but for those who own pets such as dogs, getting a neighbor to mind them might prove to be rather difficult, and boarding them could prove to carve out a big hole in your bank account as well. Others prefer to take their chances with a food dispenser for their pooches, but Nat Morris, a high-tech dog lover decided on a better way to feed his dog – through the sending of a Twitter message. Morris’ border terrier Toby will be able to receive a snack from an automated food dispenser whenever Nat sends a message to ‘@FeedToby’.
This is made possible thanks to a mini-computer known as a Nanode microcontroller, where it is connected to a small motor which was retrieved from an unused HP Deskjet 500 (now that is a relic of a printer for sure!). The moment the Nanode microcontroller receives a message, the buzzer will go off, and Toby in his Pavlovian response will come scampering over, waiting for a treat to be released when the trap door opens and sends the doggy treat down the tube and right into Toby’s food bowl. Neat!
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