4 ms·

Neat! Not to toot my own horn too much, but I put together a similar project for my cat's exercise wheel. Hackaday featured it a while back: https://hackaday.co

Neat! Not to toot my own horn too much, but I put together a similar project for my cat's exercise wheel. Hackaday featured it a while back: https://hackaday.com/2023/04/02/spy-on-your-cat-to-make-sure-it-gets-its-paws-in/ https://hackaday.com/2023/04/02/spy-on-your-cat-to-make-sure... His exercise routine is somewhat variable but he usually goes for a short jog a few dozen times a day. Most often at 5 am, for whatever reason. Since the article I also built and hooked up a treat dispenser for extra motivation.

cure_42 2mo ago
Have you seen evidence he understands that running causes treats to be dispensed and is running more as a result?
- SyzygyRhythm 2mo ago
  Always hard to be sure, but I think so, yes. The dispenser is only triggered when he runs either fast enough or long enough (I forget the thresholds, but it's something like 10 mph or 10 seconds). Sometimes he'll run and not quite trigger the threshold, but wait next to the dispenser for the treat to come out. When it doesn't, he'll go back to the wheel and run/walk for a much longer period.
noisy_boy 2mo ago
> Most often at 5 am, for whatever reason. Poo time?
otherme123 2mo ago
> Most often at 5 am, for whatever reason. Cats are crepuscular animals. They are "programed" do start at 5 AM, hunt, and go back to sleep until afternoon. Living in homes tweaked them a little, but the 5 AM thing is still strong in a lot of them (mine included). https://www.animalhumanesociety.org/resource/cat-keeping-you-awake-how-manage-night-activity https://www.animalhumanesociety.org/resource/cat-keeping-you...
- artisinal 2mo ago
  > Sorry, you have been blocked > You are unable to access animalhumanesociety.org Is this because I laughed when our family dog fell down the stairs when I was six years old?
  - b3lvedere 2mo ago
    That would be an amazing and creepy track record of the website :)
  - deleted 2mo ago
    [deleted]
- berkes 2mo ago
  > crepuscular So not specifically at 5AM, but around twilight. In my area, and for my cats, that changes a lot between summer and winter. Same for my chickens, which is why "automatic chicken doors" are difficult/impossible around here: It'd need to calculate sunset and sundown, and then also consider clouds and trees: in winter the sun sets around 16:30, but the low angle makes sunlight more blocked by clouds, particles and trees and such. My chickens often decide its bedtime before 16:00 already.
  - lefra 2mo ago
    Sounds like something that could be solved by an ambient light sensor.
    - jagged-chisel 2mo ago
      Are you crazy? Just get an LLM into the decision loop and you can obviate the need to iterate and test with a lazy human brain and instead waste a fabulous amount of energy, all while setting your project up to get some fat VC …
    - chorizo 2mo ago
      Light dependent resistor, opamp and relay. No digital components required.
asdfman123 2mo ago
> Most often at 5 am, for whatever reason. It gives him time to run, shower, and drive to work
- Insanity 2mo ago
  You forgot the mandatory meditation session!
  - tanseydavid 2mo ago
    And check the @#$% calendar in MS Teams or Outlook.
interludead 2mo ago
I love that two people independently arrived at "my pet uses a wheel, therefore I need telemetry"
a1o 2mo ago
Which cat wheel is that?
- SyzygyRhythm 2mo ago
  OneFastCat. Very pleased with it, though it can be somewhat loud when I'm trying to sleep and the house is otherwise silent!
duc_minh 2mo ago
In the Vietnamese zodiac, the time from 5 AM to 7 AM is the Cat hour (it's rabbit in Chinese)
- Toutouxc 2mo ago
  As a former rabbit owner I can attest that around 5 am was when the theater would open, and the first thing on was always this improvised bit called “abused animal trapped forever in a cage”. Lots of special effects too, there was gnawing and rattling and stomping. When I did open the cage door, she would jump out, take a look around and happily go back to napping right there in front of the cage.
Theodores 2mo ago
To complement the treat rewards, can you get the cat wheel to power a small pump to provide a water fountain for the cat? Assuming the treats are dispensed after a variable amount of distance is travelled on the cat wheel (to turn your cat into a 'gambler' of sorts, thereby keeping your cat on the wheel in the hope of a treat), a water fountain with 'fresh' water should enable your cat to avoid dehydration (due to the excessive exercise, chasing treats). Harvested energy could also power a fan for the wheel and/or a heat pad in your cat's bed. With these improvements, those short jogs will inevitably become marathon runs.
- tough 2mo ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operant_conditioning_chamber https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operant_conditioning_chamber

cure_42 2mo ago

Have you seen evidence he understands that running causes treats to be dispensed and is running more as a result?

SyzygyRhythm 2mo ago
Always hard to be sure, but I think so, yes. The dispenser is only triggered when he runs either fast enough or long enough (I forget the thresholds, but it's something like 10 mph or 10 seconds). Sometimes he'll run and not quite trigger the threshold, but wait next to the dispenser for the treat to come out. When it doesn't, he'll go back to the wheel and run/walk for a much longer period.

noisy_boy 2mo ago

> Most often at 5 am, for whatever reason. Poo time?

otherme123 2mo ago

> Most often at 5 am, for whatever reason. Cats are crepuscular animals. They are "programed" do start at 5 AM, hunt, and go back to sleep until afternoon. Living in homes tweaked them a little, but the 5 AM thing is still strong in a lot of them (mine included). https://www.animalhumanesociety.org/resource/cat-keeping-you-awake-how-manage-night-activity https://www.animalhumanesociety.org/resource/cat-keeping-you...

artisinal 2mo ago
> Sorry, you have been blocked > You are unable to access animalhumanesociety.org Is this because I laughed when our family dog fell down the stairs when I was six years old?
- b3lvedere 2mo ago
  That would be an amazing and creepy track record of the website :)
- deleted 2mo ago
  [deleted]
berkes 2mo ago
> crepuscular So not specifically at 5AM, but around twilight. In my area, and for my cats, that changes a lot between summer and winter. Same for my chickens, which is why "automatic chicken doors" are difficult/impossible around here: It'd need to calculate sunset and sundown, and then also consider clouds and trees: in winter the sun sets around 16:30, but the low angle makes sunlight more blocked by clouds, particles and trees and such. My chickens often decide its bedtime before 16:00 already.
- lefra 2mo ago
  Sounds like something that could be solved by an ambient light sensor.
  - jagged-chisel 2mo ago
    Are you crazy? Just get an LLM into the decision loop and you can obviate the need to iterate and test with a lazy human brain and instead waste a fabulous amount of energy, all while setting your project up to get some fat VC …
  - chorizo 2mo ago
    Light dependent resistor, opamp and relay. No digital components required.

asdfman123 2mo ago

> Most often at 5 am, for whatever reason. It gives him time to run, shower, and drive to work

Insanity 2mo ago
You forgot the mandatory meditation session!
- tanseydavid 2mo ago
  And check the @#$% calendar in MS Teams or Outlook.

interludead 2mo ago

I love that two people independently arrived at "my pet uses a wheel, therefore I need telemetry"

a1o 2mo ago

Which cat wheel is that?

SyzygyRhythm 2mo ago
OneFastCat. Very pleased with it, though it can be somewhat loud when I'm trying to sleep and the house is otherwise silent!

duc_minh 2mo ago

In the Vietnamese zodiac, the time from 5 AM to 7 AM is the Cat hour (it's rabbit in Chinese)

Toutouxc 2mo ago
As a former rabbit owner I can attest that around 5 am was when the theater would open, and the first thing on was always this improvised bit called “abused animal trapped forever in a cage”. Lots of special effects too, there was gnawing and rattling and stomping. When I did open the cage door, she would jump out, take a look around and happily go back to napping right there in front of the cage.

Theodores 2mo ago

To complement the treat rewards, can you get the cat wheel to power a small pump to provide a water fountain for the cat? Assuming the treats are dispensed after a variable amount of distance is travelled on the cat wheel (to turn your cat into a 'gambler' of sorts, thereby keeping your cat on the wheel in the hope of a treat), a water fountain with 'fresh' water should enable your cat to avoid dehydration (due to the excessive exercise, chasing treats). Harvested energy could also power a fan for the wheel and/or a heat pad in your cat's bed. With these improvements, those short jogs will inevitably become marathon runs.

tough 2mo ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operant_conditioning_chamber https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operant_conditioning_chamber