There are many new devices using technology to entertain cats, but this is one of the most amazing concepts I’ve seen to date. It’s the Egg, not just a cat toy, but a cat companion. It looks so simple from the outside, but once you see what it can do, I guarantee you will be impressed.
This little device is designed to mimic the erratic movements and sounds of a small animal, plus it actually responds to objects in the environment and to your cat’s movements. How does it do that? The Egg has an offset weight inside that’s operated by a gearmotor to change the Egg’s center of gravity so it rolls back and forth. There’s also an onboard angular sensor that adjusts the settings for different floor types and obstacles. The Egg is rechargeable and programmable using the USB port on a PC or a Mac. Rechargeable! No batteries to replace!
Enough with the tech part, what does the Egg do? A lot! It rolls back and forth on the floor (all by itself!), it shakes and makes cute chirping and peeping noises to attract kitty’s attention, it senses obstacles and reverses direction, and it will sense kitty’s movements and try to escape! What? I cannot wait to get my hands on one!
GET AN EGG THROUGH KICKSTARTER!
There is currently a Kickstarter campaign running for the Egg. It has already funded, but you can still get in on the deal. A $31 donation will get you one of the first Egg cat toys when they are ready (expected delivery date June 2014). The campaign will end on January 27. I’ll be sure to keep you updated on the progress of the project and the availability of the finished product.
Impressive and I’m sure a lot of cats will love this; however, in our family, there is a definite preference for non-tech toys i.e. catnip mice, sparkle balls, and feather toys. They also prefer human interaction to machines.
Sorry, but my cats are not into playing with stuff like this. It’s too artificial – it can’t be cuddled, and they’re just too smart to be fooled by electronic noises. They’re happy with a cheeseburger wrapper or bottle cap, or even one of my socks.
Too smart for a cheeseburger wrapper. Makes sense.
Incredibly cute and entertaining.
Disappointed. Most of the 1 minute video shows another toy that barely moves, then I see the Egg for a few seconds without a cat playing with it. This video doesn’t promote the toy well.
Thanks for sharing this, this looks perfect for my 3 cats, I backed it!
Is the round toy at the beginning an earlier prototype? My cats loved a pink battery-operated toy of that sort that they once had. The battery is now dead (and with it the annoying synthesized voices that often woke me up in the middle of the night as the cats batted it around), but the weighting and unpredictable path that the toy takes still keeps them entertained. The egg sounds intriguing.
PS Read the hit children’s book Mr Wuffles! If anyone can invent a cat toy that houses real, live aliens, they could make millions.
I pledged to KickStarter on this — great idea! I hope they do well, and I am excited to get mine and see how it works out, and sent the link to my cat-loving friends to check out. Though my cat thrives on human attention, and her favorite toy is the fake fur mouse that has little shaker seeds/beads inside, she is also stimulated by all kinds of things. SO, whether it’s electronic or as basic/luddite as a piece of string — I’d rather give her as many options as possible as an outlet for her curiosity. This toy seems to execute on that better than the various crappy battery mice that I’ve tried. (Though, when I had a place with a Roomba — she LOVED to follow that around!)
Good Luck, EGG!
Idea is very intriguing. The video is highly disappointing; the motion, sound and demonstrated play value leave much to be desired.