If you’ve seen the movie Homeward Bound and thought, “there’s got to be a better way with dealing with lost pets,” there’s an app for you. It uses facial recognition software to identify pets and notify their owners.
The app comes from Pip, the Pet Recognition Company, and they’ve started an Indiegogo campaign to bring the app to market, according to TechCrunch.
The app is for pet owners who aren’t comfortable with microchipping their pets, due to some possible side effects. Owners upload a few pictures of their pet (dogs and cats for now) and PiP’s technology analyzes the pet’s face and creates a profile. Once the owner reports their pet missing to PiP, an amber alert of sorts is sent out to animal shelters, vets, and more. The entire service costs less than two dollars a month.
Once the dog is found by someone, then can scan the pet’s face and see if anyone has reported the dog or cat missing. If there’s a match, the owner is notified and everyone ends up happy. The process would take less time than going to a vet or shelter and scanning the pet’s microchip.
