Samsung's working on a robot for your pets that'll even clean up dog mess

Samsung is no stranger to robots, it announced the second version of its smart home companion, Ballie, earlier this year. But it looks like the company is taking things one step further, with a patent submitted for a robot that will not only engage with your pets, but clean up after them too. 

The patent was spotted by MS Power User and it is made up of a 24-page document with plenty of details about the robot. Described as a mobile robot with a main body and a rotating part that allows it to move, whilst also featuring a storage box to hold smell substances.

Samsung said in the patent: "In addition to those that serve as assistants to increase users’ convenience indoor, mobile robots capable of playing with pets are also being developed."

To play with your pets, the robot's controller will start a "touch play" session, releasing an odour to attract the pet. The rotating part of the robot will then spin and the controller will measure your pet's distance and count the touches, releasing more odour to keep them engaged.

When it comes to cleaning up after your pet, the storage box has an open and close mechanism and there's a passage and airflow system to release the smell. Sensors within the robot will detect nearby objects, adjusting the smell diffusion accordingly, while weight and acidity of substances are monitored too. Pretty clever really. 

It probably isn't going or replace walking the dog when you get home from work, but the patented robot could help pets be less anxious when their owners aren't home. Samsung said in the patent: “When left alone indoors, a pet may feel emotionally anxious due to loneliness and missing its owner. Accordingly, continuous research efforts have been made to methods for taking care of pets not to experience emotional anxiety even when they are not with their owner."

There's no information about when this robot might be released into the wild, but it's always interesting to know how things like this are being developed and how far technology can be pushed.