Global IT company Unisys has launched Digi-Pet, an app which allows pet owners to monitor their pets’ condition in the aircraft cargo hold.
Digi-Pet also lets pet owners to subscribe to live video streaming, photos and voice exchanges of and with their pet, using their smartphone or tablet.
In addition to transporting domestic pets, Unisys noted that Digi-Pet can also be used by shippers and carriers for other live animal shipments, including horses, day-old chicks or hatching eggs.
Unveiled at Air Cargo India in Mumbai, Digi-Pet allows airlines to offer an additional facet to their pet transport services.
Digi-Pet’s ‘smart sensors’ are attached to the pet’s kennel or carrying case to monitor and then transmit key data on ambient conditions in the hold, such as temperature, oxygen levels, vibration and light.
It will also alert pet owner and airline staff if any of these metrics indicate that attention is required.
“We are emotionally attached to our pets and it can be distressing to be separated from them when travelling by air,” Unisys senior industry director of freight solutions Venkatesh Pazhyanur said.
“Large pets – whether accompanied or not – must travel in the cargo hold. Unisys Digi-Pet uses IoT [Internet of Things] sensors to provide pet owners with full visibility of their pet’s comfort and the environmental conditions, as well as enabling them to talk to their pet – calming both the pet and owner.”
Digi-Pet forms part of the Unisys’ Digistics suite of digital logistics solutions designed for air cargo carriers. Unisys is launching Digi-Pet first in the Asia Pacific area, with other regions to follow.
The 20 global carriers that subscribe to the Digistics portfolio transport more than 180,000 animals annually.
“Unisys Digi-Pet uses innovative IoT technology to enable air carriers to offer niche pet travel services, allowing them to enter and capture a high-yield growing market while improving customer experience and loyalty as pet owners don’t need to find specialised pet or other transport modes for their needs,” Pazhyanur added.
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