Homebrew iPhone App Lets You Reward Sparky From Afar

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Wonder what your pets are doing when you're not home? Here's a simple homebrew iPhone app that'll allow you to spy on your dog, and shower him with treats, no matter where you are!

With a CD-R spindle, some cardboard and wood scraps, a giant syringe, a webcam, and some glue, Stephen Myer created the body of a doggy-treat dispenser. He then used ioBridge's beta hardware—which included a pre-made servo smart board and a fill-in-the-blank type web interface—that created a widget and javascript for him.

After pasting the javascript into his iPhone, Myer also embedded streaming feed from a webcam on his dog's kennel, so that he would be able to see what his dog is up to when it thinks no one is watching. If Sparky is being a good boy, Myer could press a button that will give Sparky a treat! However, if Sparky is misbehaving, I have to wonder if this application can get the dispenser to smack Sparky with a broom. Although this application is not for purchase, Myer's blog has step-by-step instructions on how to turn your iPhone into your very own dogwatcher.

http://gizmodo.com/5102240/homebrew-...arky-from-afar