MyDogLife Blog

Pebby Smart Ball – Taking Interactive Pet Toys to the Next Level!

Playing with the Pebby Smart Ball
Written by Kevin Sando

I know it may seem that we have been on a real tech kick as of late… but in our defense, it is hard not to be fascinated by the emergence of computing into the pet world! From cameras and trackers to interactive toys, technology is rethinking the ways in which we understand and live with our pets.

Today we are going to be letting you know about another awesome device which (believe it or not) combines ALL of the gadgets above!

Introducing the Pebby

Dubbed as the “worlds most advanced pet sitter”, the Pebby is a remote control ball system which can be used to monitor, track, and play with your pets when you are not even at home.

Pebby is currently in the manufacturing phase of development and they are sponsoring this post to help spread the word about their IndieGogo Campaign to bring this product to market!

What is included in the Pebby Pack?

The Pebby system has 4 main components which work together to create a one-of-a-kind robotic pet toy.

Pebby Smart Ball

The face (and brains) of the operation, the smart ball is a camera embedded toy that can be driven via remote control. It is constructed of a durable poly-carbonate shell, making it able to withstand plenty of chewing and rough play. The interior components are further protected from damage by a unique water suspension system between layers.

Last but not least, the Pebby is waterproof for protection against slobber or an accidental drop into the water bowl!

Pebby robotic dog ball in action

Technical Specifications
  • WiFi and Bluetooth Enabled
  • Battery Life: 12 hrs idle and 1.5 hrs play
  • 720p wide angle camera
  • Built in laser pointer
  • LED headlights and color changing rim
  • Built on an open source platform (Intel Edison) allowing developers to create their own programs for the Pebby

Personalize your Pebby with one of many colorful Easyfix magnetic caps

Want to make your Pebby a little more “you”? No problem, more than 10 vibrantly colored Easyfix magnetic caps allow you to do just that!

PebbyKennel

When your Pebby’s battery is running low, simply drive it inside the PebbyKennel charging station for a refresh. The Pebby will auto align and begin a wireless charging cycle.

Pebby returning to its wireless charging station

Technical Specifications
  • 90 minute charging time
  • Sloped on/off ramp
  • Auto docking functionality

PebbyCollar

This tracker attaches to your pets collar and syncs with the Pebby Ball to monitor their activity throughout the day. A built in RRF beacon calls out to the Pebby Smart Ball for some really cool play features!

Pebby comes with a tracking tag to attach to your dogs collar which can collect data on their activity

Technical Specifications
  • Built in sensors include: 9-axis accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, temperature and barometric pressure
  • Battery Life: 8 days!
  • USB or wireless charging
  • Auto play and follow features available when collar senses that Pebby is near

Pebby App

The Pebby App is the user interface through which you interact with your device.

Driving the Pebby via the mobile app and embedded camera

Straight from your phone or tablet, you are able to:

  • Drive the Pebby
  • Watch streaming video from the embedded camera
  • Send a “bark” or a “meow” to engage your pet
  • Listen in through the Pebby’s microphone
  • Snap photos and record video
  • Share memories through the Pebby community or social media

How You Can Help

The technology is real, and the prototypes have been made, but the Pebby team could use your help in getting over some of the late stage manufacturing hurdles.

Early stage Pebby prototypes

They have already raised almost $600,000 (over 10X their original goal), but we are told they have more cool stuff in the works if that number keeps on growing!

Click Here to Learn more about their Campaign

Why MyDogLikes the Pebby

We have reviewed several pet cams in the past (even one with a built in laser toy), but none have the range of features that are offered by the Pebby. Though you are still able to check in on your pet at any time, this device is so much more than a camera.

First of all, it is not restricted to one room! This allows you to follow your pet and keep tabs on what is going on anywhere in your home.

Pebby also presents some truly unique ways to interact with your pet – no matter where you are in the world. Controlled movement, audio and visual cues, and even a built in laser all add to the fun and stimulation.

Keep an eye on your pet when you are not at home with the Pebby Robotic Pet Sitter

We are always looking for ways to enrich the bond between ourselves and our pets, and keeping them mentally engaged is a great way to do so! Talk about an awesome gift for dog lovers!

We can’t wait to get our hands on our own!

If you would like to be among the first owners, make sure to visit their IndieGoGo page for introductory rates and some really cool bonuses as well!

 

Click Here to Pre-order on IndieGoGo!  


UPDATE February 2019: It seems as if the Pebby team has experienced quite a few setbacks while rolling out manufacturing – perhaps the most significant of which being Intel discontinuing the chip that it was build upon! At this point only a small number of units have been released and it looks like they are now targeting September 2019 for a more widespread release.

As someone who works in new product design and development I definitely feel for them, but backers should be aware that this company is still very much in startup mode. Take caution in supporting if you are expecting a Pebby any time soon or are unable to “potentially” lose your investment.

About the author

Kevin Sando

Kevin is a mechanical engineer with a degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He has move than a decade experience in new product design, prototyping and early stage manufacturing. Pairing this background with his love of dogs, gives him a unique perspective to evaluate the design and execution of new and interesting pet products.

17 Comments

  • None of us have any interest in balls of any kind, but for those ball obsessed types it would be great. If they come out with a remote, moving stuffy, let us know!

    • LOL, that would be the only way to get Harley’s attention as well! Charlie on the other hand is ball OBSESSED!

  • I can see more uses for something like this, as well. A security guard, for instance, could use a larger version of it to roll around a building to check on things.

  • With about 13% of kickstarter projects actually producing a product I think I’ll wait to see it on a store shelf or..at a minimum…Amazon.

    • We will be keeping tabs on their progress and updating when this post with the latest news!

  • That’s really cool! Might have to invest in one of these hehe. Thanks for sharing 🙂

    • Don’t do it. I invested over a year ago and have been ignored since then. I doubt this product will ever become reality. They already have millions of dollars and noone has gotten what they paid for. Run far away!

  • Pebbly looks super cool, but hopefully before it comes to market they can work on the battery life. I see it is only 1.5 hours of play time available before it needs to be charge. I suppose you wouldn’t use it for a full hour and a half at a time though. Perhaps 15 minutes at a time throughout the day and then charging in between. What will the retail price be?

    • Hi Rachael! I just visited their campaign to see if there have been any updates and found that Pebby has recently incorporated a new battery capable of 120 minutes of continuous play. Looks like pre-orders are $189 and they are hoping to start shipping in November.

  • It’s been 2 years and there is no product. Everyone should read the comments section of the campaign before throw money into many calling, a scam.

    Kevin, looks like the original article you wrote was sponsored by the Pebby team. Would you consider updating this article to reflect the fact that no one has received any product so potential new backers are warned?

    Thank you.

    • Hi Penney – really appreciate the heads up.

      I just took a look at the project updates and comment section and it sure sounds like quite the mess. As an engineer who works in tech design/development I can definitely feel for them on these manufacturing headaches – though it sounds like the communication has been quite poor. I am going to reach out to our past contact at the company to see if we can get some more information.

      In the meantime I added a warning for anyone considering backing the project at this point in time.

  • Do not waste your money. I have been waiting years foe them to deliver their product with nothing to show. I backed them on kickstarter. This is a scam. Do not give them your money.

  • Hey
    Got this 2 years ago… not here…won’t respond to refund req either… could you let us know what happened? Do you know?

    • Hi Kristin, I’m sorry we haven’t gotten any status updates. Looks like they did post a project update in mid-July but I’m unable to access it. Very disappointing that the communication has been so poor.

  • this company is scum and scammed money from the original backers. and have since disappeared and people are rightfully very unhappy. i dont want to give me them any more attention than necessary, but people need to know about the fraud taking place.

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