Ilume™
Dog Wellbeing Technology Suite
2022
Research, Concept, Development, Electronics, Production + Packaging
Ilume™ Technology Suite
Enabling a healthier, happier and longer life for dogs: Track activity levels, steps, sleep and the right portion sizes.
A dog's health is about more than food—It's about the nutrients they absorb, the energy they burn, their resting times and quality of sleep. Evidence shows that dogs at a healthy weight, or those whose portions are personally calorie-controlled—live longer—that's what we want. Whilst Apple, Garmin and Fitbit revolutionised human health and wellness with smart technologies, Ilume™ and D+I have brought this HealthTech approach to PetTech—providing a personalised data-driven way for owners to ensure they are providing the best life possible for their dogs. The Ilume™ offering integrates nutrient-rich chef prepared subscription meals, with smart IoT technology and a simple to use smartphone application. D+I worked with Ilume™ to design and develop the Dog Wellbeing Technology suite: collar-based Activity Tracker, Electronic Smart Bowl and Data-Hub/Tracker Charging Station. Together these help owners to increase their interactions with and optimise the diet, frequency, portions + activities enjoyed by their dog to promote an overall improvement in quality of and length of life.
Designing for Dogs and their People
The challenge was to develop a range of smart connected products and algorithms to advance the Ilume™ mission.
What’s right for an older Chihuahua is very different to the needs of a young Great Dane... It’s difficult to discern the right diet, right portions, and right activity requirements to ensure the best life for our furry friends. Ilume™ has developed a menu of unique research-based nutrient rich meals—a quick quiz allows owners to discover the optimum diet for their furry friend and order meals to be delivered direct-to-home. The challenge for D+I was to develop a range of smart connected products: the system needed to discern the differences between the needs of all breeds across all stages of life, whilst at the same time not add any complexity to providing care. The tech suite would need to track fitness + activity, sleep patterns + eating habits — this data would need to be captured + sent back to base for interpretation by proprietary algorithms. Interpreted data needed to be delivered to an App on a users smartphone in a glance to understand format—all to make it simple for owners to interact more with their dog—the aim: increase their quality and length of life.
Discovering needs the smart way
Real-time tracking to reveal a personalised plan for a healthier + longer life for each and every dog.
The Activity Tracker is a small device that fits snugly onto your dog's collar. The Activity Tracker contains a 3-axis accelerometer, gyroscope that tracks accurate movements and informs the Ilume™ personalised nutrition program (PNP). The tracker is small in footprint and can be fitted to almost any collar, a snap attach mechanism ensures the tracker can’t be dislodged (no chance of becoming lost, or detached and accidently consumed!). Tracker Specs: Up to 21 days battery life, 24 hour activity tracking (steps, active minutes, calories burnt + sleep), communicates via low-powered Bluetooth, IP65 Waterproof Rating, fit for purpose non-brittle + non-toxic materials, and a remotely activated light (useful for dog-spotting in a large park on an evening roam).
The Electronic Smart Bowl when connected with the Activity Tracker monitors your dog's activity and seamlessly updates your personalised nutrition program (PNP)—Smart Bowl makes it easy to get the perfect portion size right each and every meal time. The bowl features an innovative radial backlit indicator interface that reveals the ideal portion without the need to show numerical weights. Once the indicator is fully illuminated and glowing white—the perfect portion has been served; if it glows red—it’s time to remove the unnecessary extra serving. Smart Bowl Specs: Up to 40 days battery life, fit for purpose materials selection: overmolded silicon base—super easy to clean, and a removable stainless steel bowl—easy to carry to and from meal prep areas, and non-stick for easy clean-up.
The Hub is home to proprietary algorithms that decipher the collected data. The Hub is an IoT connected device operating via Wi-Fi that ‘feeds’ the ilume™ App with unique insights about our furry friends that are collected from the Tracker + Bowl. This collected data helps to develop a predictive model for a dogs optimum day. In subsequent months & years the activity tracker plays a monitoring role to keep calorific intake appropriate for their longer-term physiological needs, promoting healthy ageing. The Hub also acts as the charging base station for both the Tracker + Bowl.
The Smart Dog Solution
A personalised data-driven way for owners to ensure they are providing the best life possible.
The Ilume™ PetTech suite can be utilised independent of the companies subscription meal offering (i.e. alterative prepared meals, off-the-shelf supermarket options + home-made meals). By nature, dogs disguise pain and illness; by monitoring activities, diets, sleep patterns and other signals, Ilume™ makes it simple detect early signs of distress, so owners know what actions to take to improve their dogs quality + length of life.
