Let’s face it – the vast majority of self-cleaning litter boxes on the market today aren’t very pleasing to look at. Most are forgettable, gray or off-white, plasticky, egg-shaped pods you’ll want to hide in a closet somewhere. Korean robotics startup Valiantx is trying to change this with Scubic, a slick, white, stackable, cube-shaped self-cleaning litter box that wouldn’t look out of place in an Apple store.
The company, which makes robotic video gear (camera dollies) for K-dramas, decided to use its robotics expertise to develop a new kind of self-cleaning litter box after the team discovered and adopted a stray cat in its lab. And so, Scubic was born. The washing machine-like shape is clean and familiar, and the design features two entrances (front and top). It’s also stackable in case you have multiple cats.
Most self-cleaning litter boxes use a rotating drum, which introduces a number of problems. These products are usually cramped inside, difficult for cats to climb into (because the entrance to the drum is located above the waste basket), and are too shallow to contain enough litter. Scubic fixes all of these issues: it’s extremely spacious, easy for cats to ingress, and as deep as most standard litter boxes.
Valiantx’s unique, patent-pending robotics technology scoops the litter into a large wastebasket located behind the litter tray, and designed to accommodate standard-sized trash bags. Scubic even features a built-in air purifier. It’s currently available for pre-order on Indiegogo for $350, and the campaign has already reached 290% of its $30,000 funding goal. Valiantx expects Scubic to eventually retail for about $600 (MSRP).
While Scubic looks like a thoughtfully designed product, we’re surprised it doesn’t offer any kind of “smart” / connected features. How about a camera system with AI-based cat recognition to keep track of litter habits or even identify health issues? Why not include a smartphone app that collects selfies as your cat enters the litter box and warns you when the wastebasket is full? Seems like a missed opportunity.
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