Bistro, an automatic cat feeder with facial recognition camera that has been raising funds for development on the crowdfunding site "INDIE GOGO," has surpassed its goal of $100,000 for mass production with 18 days left until the end of the fundraising period. If it reaches the $150,000 mark, which is currently imminent, the device will be equipped with a backup battery. Incidentally, if the company exceeds $200,000, the main unit will be equipped with a speaker and microphone.


The lightweight dish and waterer are located inside the main unit, and when a cat tries to eat food and sticks its head into the hole in the main unit, its face is captured by the camera for facial recognition. The weight of the lightweight dish and waterer changes, indicating which cat has eaten how much food and how much it has eaten. In addition, the tray at the bottom of the unit serves as a scale, which the cat inevitably rides on when it eats food.


Data such as the amount of food eaten, water consumed, and weight is transmitted to the cloud via Wi-Fi. Owners can check this data via a smartphone application and learn about their cat's health status, such as sudden weight gain or loss, obesity, and so on. The application also integrates a database of cat food nutritional ingredients, allowing the amount of food to be set for weight loss.


The application also allows users to view camera footage of cats eating food.


The expected retail price after commercialization is $249, but if you invest $179 now, you can get Bistro after commercialization. For owners who buy only one cat, a $159 investment will get Bistro without the facial recognition function. There will be an additional shipping fee of $40 for countries outside the U.S. or Taiwan. The products are expected to ship around March 2015.