A Samsung-backed startup has developed an app-based solution that scans the unique surface pattern on a dog's nose as a biometric authentication measure to identify pets, saving owners the hassle of using tracking devices. This isn't Samsung's first go at offering pet-friendly solutions. In 2018, Samsung pitched an LTE-powered SmartThings Tracker for pets to let owners find their pets, assess their roaming patterns, and also set movement boundary alerts.

But Samsung is not the only player in the segment. At Consumer Electronics Show 2022, French brand Invoxia showcased what it calls a BioMetric Smart Dog Collar armed with biometric sensors to monitor a dog's heart and respiratory, in addition to location tracking in real-time. However, scientists have lately been pushing to adopt biometrics-based identification widely, relying on features like patterns on a Zebra's skin, blood vessel web in rodent ears, spots on a koala's nose and the ridges on a cow's snoot.

Related: Tesla' Dog Mode' Explained & Why It's A Great Feature For Pet Owners

A South Korea-based startup called Petnow, part of Samsung's C Lab program, wants to emulate the nose-based biometric identification formula for dogs. Just like the unique pattern of ridges on bovine muzzles, the nose print for dogs is also as unique as human fingerprints. Petnow has created an app that employs artificial intelligence algorithms to identify nose prints of dogs and is said to be 98 percent accurate at its job. Furthermore, the self-learning ML model ensures that the speed and accuracy only go up with the passage time. And as a safety measure, all the biometric data of pets is encrypted before being stored on the cloud.

No More Lost Or Abandoned Pets

Petnow app biometric scanning with dog nose pattern.
Petnow

The app automatically performs the nose scan without asking users to press the shutter button. Instead, the app automatically focuses on the pet's nose, performs the necessary photo quality adjustments, and tweaks brightness to capture the most detailed nose print possible. But PetSmart wants to extend the biometric identification courtesy to another very popular class of pets — cats. The company says its eponymous app will be able to biometrically identify feline pets in the second half of 2022. On a related note, there's already a mobile app called Tably that relies on an AI-based Remote Patient Monitoring system to identify how a cat is feeling with just a photo clicked by a phone's camera.

Samsung-backed Petnow works sort of like an AirTag, but for pets. The biometric data of a dog is tied to the owner's details. So, if the pet wanders off and a good samaritan takes a photo of it using the app, it will instantly pull the registered pet as well as the owner's details. The goal is to unite owners with their lost pets without any trust issues. "Nose prints identification developed by Petnow can assist not only insurance, but also pet-related services, namely hotels, clinics, or training programs," says the company. The app also aims to eliminate traditional identification measures such as tag attachments, branding, or microchip implants that tend to be quite expensive. The Petnow app is now Apple to download for free on the App Store and Google Play Store.

Next: Android Can Now Send Alerts For Water Running, Dogs Barking, & Other Sounds

Source: Petnow