How we do the first Russian tracker for dogs Mishiko
Hello, readers of Geektimes!
My name is Daniel Dymshits, and I work in a team that is now launching its first product on the market - a clever collar for dogs Mishiko . Here it is:
This is a device that allows you to find out via your smartphone (iOS / Android) where your dog is and how active it was during the day. We are doing not just a gadget, but a whole platform for launching Internet of Things projects, and the first of them is a clever collar for dogs Mishiko .
In this blog, we will talk about how we developed the device, how it works, and, of course, tell the stories of the first Mishiko testers and owners who already use the device every day. But let's go in order!
The idea of the project was born a few years ago, when Intech, the developer of large and complex B2B solutions for telecom operators, decided to try new directions. The Internet of things seemed to be a great start and, all the more, an adjacent direction with our main telecom business. Then we started generating ideas, stopped at a dog tracker, and started thinking about what he should be able to do and how to look. That's where we started:
Looks easy for now, right?
As can be seen from the inscription on the plaster block, we decided to call the device Spotty.
Then we thought about the idea of a fitness tracker for dogs. That is, a device that would consider the activity of the dog during walks synchronized with the mobile application and showed all this in the form of beautiful graphs. We found a number of studies that said that obesity is one of the main problems in dogs, due to which they lose up to several years of life (more precisely, due to the diseases associated with overweight).
But in parallel with the start of work on the project, we went “to the fields” and talked in more detail with the dog breeders. It turned out that yes, watching the activity of a dog is, of course, useful (oddly enough, many breeders have come across overweight in domestic dogs). Yes, and tracking the activity of a dog is also a fun and interesting thing, but ... This is not at all the main problem and pain for the owner of the dog. Much more important for everyone with whom we communicated was the search function for the dog in case of its loss. Usually, at this stage, the breeders of the dogs with whom we communicated turned red and began to talk with horror about how they lost their pets.
We studied the market and quickly realized that we can become a truly advanced product only if we can combine GPS tracking and activity monitoring in one device. And, of course, do it all at a fundamentally new level of quality for trackers. We immediately dropped all thoughts about the Chinese base — all Chinese trackers at prices ranging from $ 15 to $ 90, which we tested, worked just awful. A curve software, a wobbly case and a heap of marriage.
It was decided to make a tracker from scratch. So that he had every chance to occupy his niche. We decided not to save on industrial design, not to save on electronic components, not to save on materials. As a result, gradually improving the hull and engineering from gypsum to the first 3D variants that looked like this:
And in the end we came to this:
Mishiko on a wireless charging station: you do not even need to remove from the collar to recharge the
Aluminum base of the case for attachment to the collar and SoftTouch cover
Complete with the tracker itself, the collar also comes
Over the years, everything has changed in the device. First, the project received Western investment and received a new start, already with the support of the European team. Secondly, the name Spotty (which, as we later found out, it was impossible to register as a trademark anywhere except in Russia and the CIS) was replaced by Mishiko, nicknamed one of the dogs of the European investor.
Now the project has turned into an international one, and the Mishiko tracker itself is a fascinating epic of the Russian development of the device from the world of the “Internet of things”. Now we are sure that Mishiko is one of the most advanced devices on the market. And that's why:
The project, though international, is also in place!
In the following posts - the first testers reviews, live photos and, of course, DOGS.
Stay tuned!
My name is Daniel Dymshits, and I work in a team that is now launching its first product on the market - a clever collar for dogs Mishiko . Here it is:
This is a device that allows you to find out via your smartphone (iOS / Android) where your dog is and how active it was during the day. We are doing not just a gadget, but a whole platform for launching Internet of Things projects, and the first of them is a clever collar for dogs Mishiko .
In this blog, we will talk about how we developed the device, how it works, and, of course, tell the stories of the first Mishiko testers and owners who already use the device every day. But let's go in order!
How it all began
The idea of the project was born a few years ago, when Intech, the developer of large and complex B2B solutions for telecom operators, decided to try new directions. The Internet of things seemed to be a great start and, all the more, an adjacent direction with our main telecom business. Then we started generating ideas, stopped at a dog tracker, and started thinking about what he should be able to do and how to look. That's where we started:
Looks easy for now, right?
As can be seen from the inscription on the plaster block, we decided to call the device Spotty.
Then we thought about the idea of a fitness tracker for dogs. That is, a device that would consider the activity of the dog during walks synchronized with the mobile application and showed all this in the form of beautiful graphs. We found a number of studies that said that obesity is one of the main problems in dogs, due to which they lose up to several years of life (more precisely, due to the diseases associated with overweight).
But in parallel with the start of work on the project, we went “to the fields” and talked in more detail with the dog breeders. It turned out that yes, watching the activity of a dog is, of course, useful (oddly enough, many breeders have come across overweight in domestic dogs). Yes, and tracking the activity of a dog is also a fun and interesting thing, but ... This is not at all the main problem and pain for the owner of the dog. Much more important for everyone with whom we communicated was the search function for the dog in case of its loss. Usually, at this stage, the breeders of the dogs with whom we communicated turned red and began to talk with horror about how they lost their pets.
We studied the market and quickly realized that we can become a truly advanced product only if we can combine GPS tracking and activity monitoring in one device. And, of course, do it all at a fundamentally new level of quality for trackers. We immediately dropped all thoughts about the Chinese base — all Chinese trackers at prices ranging from $ 15 to $ 90, which we tested, worked just awful. A curve software, a wobbly case and a heap of marriage.
It was decided to make a tracker from scratch. So that he had every chance to occupy his niche. We decided not to save on industrial design, not to save on electronic components, not to save on materials. As a result, gradually improving the hull and engineering from gypsum to the first 3D variants that looked like this:
And in the end we came to this:
Mishiko on a wireless charging station: you do not even need to remove from the collar to recharge the
Aluminum base of the case for attachment to the collar and SoftTouch cover
Complete with the tracker itself, the collar also comes
What changed
Over the years, everything has changed in the device. First, the project received Western investment and received a new start, already with the support of the European team. Secondly, the name Spotty (which, as we later found out, it was impossible to register as a trademark anywhere except in Russia and the CIS) was replaced by Mishiko, nicknamed one of the dogs of the European investor.
Now the project has turned into an international one, and the Mishiko tracker itself is a fascinating epic of the Russian development of the device from the world of the “Internet of things”. Now we are sure that Mishiko is one of the most advanced devices on the market. And that's why:
- Free roaming worldwide. Mishiko uses the usual cellular connection for data transmission, with which the built-in T-Mobile SIM chip works. The contract with them allowed us to form a package with a fixed price of a monthly subscription, even when roaming. The location and activity of the dog can be viewed in any of 170 countries of the world, which, of course, includes all of Europe, the USA and Russia.
- Aluminum base housing for stability and secure attachment to the collar
- Water resistant (can be submerged up to 30 minutes) and UV protection (will not fade in the sun)
- No buttons! That is, in general. Automatically turns on when shaken
- Charging for wireless Qi-charging like Apple Watch. The device does not need to be removed from the collar each time when charging - it can be charged through the collar
- LED backlight, bright and energy efficient. To make it easier to find a dog at night
The project, though international, is also in place!
In the following posts - the first testers reviews, live photos and, of course, DOGS.
Stay tuned!