Let the Dog Handle the Shutter

Credit: Heartography Nikon Asia

No, you read it right. We meant dogs can now become photographers now, and not needing you to hold the camera for them. Created by Nikon, Heartography SmartCase is a camera device that turns emotions (of your dog) into photographs.

The way it works is that your dog’s heartbeat data is gathered with an elastic, conductive band that is tied around the dog’s neck, before it is transmitted via Bluetooth. The servo arm of the Heartography SmartCase would then depress the camera’s shutter button, readying the camera’s focus for a photo. Once a spike in heart rate (when it exceeds a predefined baseline, set by buttons on the SmartCase) is detected, the Pro Trinket microcontroller will move the servo to take the photo.

Sounds complicated? It’s all really about your dog taking photos of what excites or scares them. Here, let Grizzler, the world’s first canine photographer show you how it works.

Poop Power

Credit: Fast Company

If you told your friends last year that your dog could be your source of renewable energy, you could easily be taken as a fool. But not anymore, with the conceptual design Poo Poo Power by Geneva-based designer Océane Izard, also the human parent of three dogs.

The way the device works is simple: place a biodegradable bag of dog poop inside, let the sludge-eating bacteria belch out methane that is then converted into power, and the electricity is stored in batteries to be used to power your appliances. Naturally, the amount of poop produced by different sizes of dogs matters too, so a German Shepherd produces around 500 grams of waste a day, which is enough to keep your fridge running. The Beagle, on the other hand, produces around 250 grams of waste per day, which would suffice to power a fan for two hours.

As gross as the idea may sound to some, powering your home with dog poop is nothing but ingenious. Not only does it help cities save up the cost of cleaning dog poop on the streets, it also prevents the emission of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere where dog poop is dumped into landfill. Additionally, it helps to keep the city clean – cities where dog owners don’t have the good manner to clean up after their dogs, that is.