This Smart Cat Feeder Uses Facial Recognition to Exclude Greedy Kitties

Cats have personalities, and some are more bossy than others. In a multi-cat household, cats on the top of the pecking order might hog the food bowl, excluding less aggressive underlings from getting their fill. 

A startup called Bistro hopes to change this dynamic with a smart cat feeding unit. The device uses facial recognition to exclude piggy kitties from the feeding bowl, giving others their fair turn. It also has a built in scale in case owners are trying to push a weight loss or weight gain regime for their cats. 

By tracking how much each cat is eating, it can also warn owners about potential health problems their cats might be suffering from, via an app. Bistro's creator actually decided to make the system after he found his cat Momo laying inert on the floor, Time reports. Because he had two other cats that were cleaning out the bowl, he had no idea that Momo hadn't been eating for days or even weeks. 

Bistro allows owners to monitor their cats' food consumption even if they aren't at home. And the company also has plans to install a speaker system, so owners can talk to their cats as they eat. A live stream video showing the cats eating is also available. 

Bistro is depending on a crowdfunding campaign to launch its first line of machines, and it has already met its $100,000 goal. First investors get their own Bistro machine for $179, and they'll probably cost around $249 in stores, Time reports. 

Here, you can see more about how Bistro works: 

Bistro: The Smartest Cat Feeder. Ever.

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Rachel Nuwer | | READ MORE

Rachel Nuwer is a freelance science writer based in Brooklyn.