A university and a tech company in Tokyo have worked together to create the “Cat Pain Detector” app, which utilises AI to identify whether a cat is in pain.
Since its recent launch, the app has garnered 43,000 users. It examines hundreds of cat images to find minute indicators of distress.
Researchers from Carelogy and the College of Bioresource Sciences at Nihon University examined the ears, noses, whiskers, and eyelids of cats in order to develop a score system that can distinguish between healthy cats and those that are suffering from diseases that are difficult to diagnose.
Go Sakioka, the CEO of Carelogy, claims that by feeding this data into an AI detection system, the app’s accuracy has surpassed 90%.
The intention is to provide cat owners a tool to evaluate the health of their pets at home and determine whether a trip to the doctor is necessary.
While some Japanese vets are already using the “Cat Pain Detector,” Sakioka emphasises the need for more AI system development before it becomes a widely used tool.
The success of the app is a reflection of the growing range of pet-related technology available to help owners keep tabs on the health and mood of their animals.
In order to address the concerns of pet owners globally, similar mood and pain monitors have been created in Canada and Israel.
The “Cat Pain Detector” is widely used by cat lovers in Japan, where cats are regarded as lucky symbols and there are many businesses dedicated to them.
However, the creators understand that before the AI system is widely used, accuracy needs to be improved.
