Furbo Dog Camera

We counted five PCBs: one for the camera/mic assembly, two to control the motor, one for the LED, and one with the micro-USB port.

There was a copper EMI shield wrapped around the sub-assembly, even mounted along the interior of the encasing. This can help improve network connectivity by filtering out exterior interference.

A die cast aluminum block was mounted just behind the camera PCB to help dissipate heat from the board. It’s odd that they opted for such a heavy, clunky option, rather than just using copper heat sink. One possible reason may have been because cnc machining aluminum is typically less expensive and easier to source for die casting.

The main electronic components (camera, mic, lens, etc.) looked simply sourced and inexpensive. Considering the crackly sound coming through the speaker, it’s likely they could have invested in a higher-quality option.

In order to actually throw a treat, there were a number of moving components. These pieces were triggered in a specific order, so the parts could make that a possibility.

All of the steps were connected by several gears and two spring loaded components, all of which were driven by one simple motor. 

All the components were made out of common thermoplastics: POM and likely PC/ABS. PC/ABS is an impact-resistant material, which makes sense for something that’s constantly being yanked by springs.

The assembly didn’t always work reliably, and the overall catapult system had a very vertical design. The treats would sometimes get stuck in the cavity, so all you’d hear would be the clicker sound, or it would spew out three treats at once. 

All the plastic components appear to be injection molded, even the gears for launching the treats.

The outer enclosures had ribs that were very tall. It was impressive that the plastic filled all the ribs and did not cause sink marks on the cosmetic surfaces. 

The IM parts were designed for high volume production, with ejector pins stamping the tool cavity numbers for traceability when evaluating yield for quality control.

Using a battery as a power source instead of the current cord design could help prevent the possibility of dogs yanking on the power cable to try to get more treats. There was some space inside that they could have played around with more to accomplish this.