Improve The Lives Of Pets And Their People: Join The Kickstarter Campaign For iPetCompanion And HomePlay's Remotely Operated Toys

BOISE, Idaho, May 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- What if pet owners could check in on their pets, know they are safe, and even play with them remotely from work, while traveling or from any location with an Internet connection?

iPetCompanion, a web-based remote pet play system available since 2010 only to humane societies and animal shelters by technology company Reach-In, is responding to thousands of pet parents who have asked for a home version of the system. The HomePlay system is now a project on Kickstarter, and will be funded if at least $150,000 is pledged by Monday, June 15, 2015. Just four days into the campaign, 39 backers have already pledged $17,517. 

If the campaign succeeds, pet parents will be able to log on from their own personal computer to physically control the iPet camera and toys directly from the screen, just as the shelters do. Pet owners will be able to move the camera, zooming in to get a closer look at their pets, scan the room to see what their companion animals are doing, and even physically play with their pets by clicking a button and controlling remotely operated toys. Pet parents will also be able to take photos of their animals for online scrapbooking, and chat and share photos among friends, if they choose to allow page access to others. 

"Our Kickstarter project is a little different," explains Reach-In and iPetCompanion founder Scott Harris. "We initially created this technology for industrial applications, but serendipitously struck a chord in the animal welfare world by using our tech to allow Internet users to play with animals available for adoption. It's been fantastic to see our technology used in such an intimate and loving way. Being able to physically connect people with animals within our shelter systems has proven emotionally powerful, evidenced by the rise in adoptions and the many stories we have received from the facilities. I'm certain home use will be just as powerful. A successful Kickstarter campaign will meet the production numbers necessary for the molds to make volume manufacturing feasible."

iPetCompanion is installed at 27 humane societies in the United States, with participating shelters reporting the following statistics:

• Up to an 18 percent increase in kitten adoptions
• Up to a 295 percent increase in sponsorships
• Up to 52 percent sustained increase in overall web traffic
• Online visitors from more than 170 countries logging in to play with adoptable animals
• Average viewer times of 28 minutes per site

If successfully funded by the Kickstarter campaign, the HomePlay system will also appeal to:

• Pet foster parents or rescue groups who want to showcase adoptable or soon-to-be-available animals
• Cat cafes that want to show off their kitties to the local community -- and beyond
• Internet lovers ready to show off their pets to the world, with personalized live streaming, blogging, photo and video shares, and more
• Techies who love creative gadgets with massive expansion capabilities

Scott Harris is available for interviews about this unique technology and its wide appeal to pet owners.

The Kickstarter campaign is at this link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1411278157/ipetcompanion-homeplay-play-with-your-pet-from-any?ref=nav_search, and a press kit and photos are available for download at http://www.ipetcompanion.com/newsroom.

About Reach-In Technologies (www.reach-in.com)
Founded in 2009 by semiconductor industry veteran Scott Harris, Reach-In Technologies developed a unique application that can control almost any mechanical device over the Internet instantly, and in real time. The Reach-In technology offers physical control without geographic limitations, and can be used for safety purposes, factory or plant management, or even to allow experts in a field (from construction to triage surgery) to physically help others that are geographically separated. Reach-In's flagship product is iPetCompanion, which utilizes the technology to interact with live animals over the web. Learn more at www.ipetcompanion.com, and find information on backing the development of the HomePlay system at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1411278157/ipetcompanion-homeplay-play-with-your-pet-from-any?ref=nav_search.

Presskit/photos: www.ipetcompanion.com/newsroom
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @ipetcompanion  
Facebook: iPetCompanion

SOURCE Reach-In Technologies

Related Links

http://www.reach-in.com