A pet monitoring device is disclosed that's wearable by a pet for recording and communicating the pet's movements within an environment in which radio frequency identifier (RFID) tags have been strategically placed. The device includes: a transmitter configured to send a radio signal to an area surrounding a pet's location; a receiver configured to receive a reflected radio signal from an RFID tag within the area; a processor configured to identify the RFID tag of the reflected radio signal; and a database in which the processor stores times and locations of identified RFID tags in the environment such that the times and locations are indicative of behavior of the pet in the environment. The device can be used for behavioral analysis, tracking key indicators related to the well-being of the pet, such as when a pet eats and drinks water, and how the pet behaves during recovery from an injury.

An unmanned aerial vehicle for determining geolocation exclusion zones of animals. The unmanned aerial vehicle includes a processor-based monitoring device to track geolocation information associated with an animal from the unmanned aerial vehicle, an identification device mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle to identify the animal and to track a position of the animal over time, and a mapping device coupled to the monitoring device to determine locations where the animal has traversed and to identify where an encounter with the animal is reduced.

A virtual containment zone system is provided. The virtual containment zone system includes a plurality of beacons, a plurality of joining segments, and a tracking device. Each of the plurality of beacons employ ultra-wideband and define a vertex of a virtual containment zone boundary that forms the perimeter of a virtual containment zone. Each of the plurality of joining segments define the virtual containment zone boundary between two of the plurality of beacons. The tracking device comprises a processing device. The processing device is configured to determine the virtual containment zone boundary, enable one or more of the plurality of joining segments to take an action in response to a location of the tracking device, determine the location of the tracking device, determine, based on the location of the tracking device, an action to take, and send, to the tracking device, a signal to perform the action.

Disclosed modular animal collar systems include a D ring exoskeleton system, a breakaway latch tongue system and other systems. Disclosed collars may be self-orienting. Disclosed collars include auto release systems to ensure that collars do not choke or otherwise injure a pet. Collars include sophisticated electronics to commutate with a pet owner's smart phone but also include means of communication not requiring the use of a smart phone. Collars may include a base collar containing a micro controller and other computer related components. Surrounding modular components may contain additional equipment and may be added as needed by a pet owner. Disclosed collar functions are executed by the disclosed collars and facilitate the retrieval, care and training of a pet.

An ingestible bolus for automatically monitoring location and physiological parameters including core temperature of ruminant animals. The location parameters are determined using magnetic field information and/or GPS data sensed by the sensors in the bolus and communicated along with a unique ID number and time stamp to a centralized location. A data center at the centralized location comprises a computing environment for analyzing the data received from the bolus and transfer the analyzed results including animal temperature, location to a user interface display. The temperature information is analyzed at the data center to determine the health status of the animal.

Methods and devices for providing access to identity information stored in an electronic chip in a system where a unique animalis tagged with an electronic chip and provided with a transponder configured to be able to read the electronic chip. The transponder stores the identity read from the chip in local memory and responds to information request messages by broadcasting the read identity as a beacon signal. The information request message is typically received from an authorized device, while the response beacon signal may be received by any device capable of receiving beacon signals. The identity code received as part of the beacon signal can be used by the receiving device to request access to information relating to the unique animal from a remote device. In some embodiments, the remote device may be equipment such as an electronically controlled gate, or a dispenser of animal food.

A multifunction animal collar. The collar including a plurality of electronic components for collecting and transmitting audio and visual information to and from a remote user in real time. The plurality of electronic components including a satellite communication chip, a GPS chip, a camera, a thermographic camera, infrared camera, a microphone, a speaker, and a light. The satellite communication chip capable of transmitting and receiving viewed images and sounds to a remote user for viewing on an external electronic device and back to the animal in real time.

A system for remote care of an animal that includes a mobile robotic unit having a housing, a mobility portion coupled to the housing and operable to move the housing, an animal waste detection system configured to detect deposited animal feces, a microprocessor disposed within the housing in communication with the animal waste detection system being operable to give navigational instructions to the mobility portion to travel along a path, and collect deposited animal's feces encountered along the path.

An assisted guidance region has a plurality of zones, each with an associated set of characteristics used to provide behavioral guidance to an animal. Behavioral guidance is extended to a wayward dog who has moved outside of the assisted guidance region by providing stimuli to shepherd the dog back into a safe zone. Positive stimuli are provided when the dog is moving in a direction back towards the safe zone, by providing a safe zone or similar stimulus. Movement away from the safe zone will trigger the unit to deliver a non-aversive second alert zone stimulus. Movement that isn't getting closer or further away triggers a first alert zone stimulus. Calculation of relative movement direction with regard to the safe zone is preferably based upon a comparison of sequential data table position displacements from an approximate center of the safe zone or from a manually selected location.

In a method and system for managing a social group, the method includes determining a group member behavior from a member position relative to the social group, and inferring a member state from the member behavior. Spatial, spatio-temporal, and biometric data may be used. A social group management system includes an inference engine that infers a member state from the behavior of a monitored member. Another social group management method includes characterizing a first monitored member of the social group as a first discrete element; characterizing at least a second monitored member of the social group as at least a second discrete element; and determining a characteristic displacement between the first monitored member and at least the second monitored member in accordance with a discrete element method.