MARS Petcare Unveils ForPaws AI-Driven Lose & Found Service for Pets
MARS Petcare has launched a new app called ForPaws that uses bespoke facial recognition technology to help a wide network of pet lovers quickly identify, locate and reunite lost pets with their families.
The app uses a recent photo of the pet to create a Smart ID that is unique to them. In the unfortunate instance that a pet goes missing, ForPaws can use the photo to highlight unique facial features and visual characteristics of the pet, helping people in the ForPaws network connect lost pets with their families. The technology is powered by an advanced machine learning algorithm that constantly improves accuracy rate with the addition of more photos to its database.
Every festive season, many pets tend to get frightened and run away due to the bursting of crackers and other loud noises associated with the festivities. With the help of ForPaws, pet owners on the network can rely on the app’s artificial intelligence-based image analysis to find their missing pet. Similarly, individuals who come across a lost pet can take a photo and find a match on the app if another user is looking for that pet.
The app is initially launching in Bangalore, India and will be providing this service first for dogs before expanding to more cities and including more pets like cats.
“With the increase in smartphone penetration and sharp drop in internet data costs, more and more services are leveraging smart tech to solve consumer pain points,” said Mohit Arora, Global Digital Marketing Lead, MARS Petcare. “With ForPaws we want to leverage facial recognition technology and a network of pet lovers to solve a serious problem of tracking missing pets and helping them find their way home.”
Ganesh Ramani, Managing Director, MARS Petcare said, “We are happy to launch the ForPaws app that can reduce the instances of pet owners losing their pets permanently, through the use of technology and a widespread network of pet lovers. With the rise in the number of pet adoptions in the past few years, the pet care category has witnessed tremendous growth. In addition, there has been an attitudinal shift as pets are now increasingly being seen as members of the family. Mars Petcare is a leader in the pet food category with brands like Pedigree and Whiskas and making a better world for pets is at the core of our organizational purpose. We hope people will use this app and help pet parents have the joy of recovering their lost pets.”