Year
2025
Duration
4 Months
Client
N/A
Field
Sensory Design, IoT Design, Interaction Design
Software Used
Overview
DoughDough aims to eliminate physical separation by providing a haptic presence, reducing pet owners' anxiety and encouraging their social interaction. The product is a set of devices, a dog bowl and a silicone balloon which mimic the dog’s belly. According to the weight of the food in the dog’s bowl, the remotely connected balloon indicates whether the dog has finished their meal or not.
How it Works
When the dog finishes their meal, which means the weight of the food in the bowl decreases….
When food is added to the bowl, which means the weight of the food in the bowl increases…
The balloon pumps out air, signaling mealtime.
The balloon device will then inflate to show that they are full.
Over time, the air in the balloon will be released gradually, which will also let the owner sense that the pet is digesting the food in the stomach.
Inner Structure
Arduino Uno R3 microcontrollers in the dog bowl and silicone balloon device manage the process from food intake to digestion simulation. The balloon device activates two air pumps in response. These pumps, regulated by a valve, either inflate or deflate the balloon.
The dog bowl features a scale that accurately measures food weight, providing real-time consumption data. As the dog eats, the weight sensor relays changes to the bowl's Arduino, which then wirelessly signals the balloon device via an HC-05 module to respond accordingly.
Research Takeways
65.1 million American families own a dog, and 47% of them experience separation anxiety from their dogs
31% of the respondents use pet cameras to keep an eye on their pets’ activities.
Design Process
Ideation
User Testing
Feedbacks for the owner’s device:
-Abstract shape than literal shape;
-Prefer a smaller size to put on the table or a travel size to take with;
-A desire for a compact, soft, and portable design that could easily integrate into home environments and travel scenarios
Form Exploration
One of the main challenges for the form exploration is the design language shared between two devices, the food bowl and the balloon.
Prototyping
The most challenging part is the process of casting the silicone balloon for the Owner’s device. After countless experiments, a perfectly even balloon was then produced.
Prototype Iterations
Story Behind DoughDough
I had a dog, Dou-dou, since I was five. For 17 years, she was my only companion through life’s ups and downs. After high school, I moved to New York and left her in Beijing, making the separation harder than expected.
I often wondered if she missed me or was hungry, and daily thoughts of her consumed me. Despite family photos and cameras installed on every corner of the house to monitor my dog, I was still unable to emotionally sync with my dog with absences of physical interactions.
