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A California teenager has created a solution for dog owners who can’t bear the thought of leaving their beloved pets home alone.
Cassidy Matwiyoff, a high school senior in San Diego, California, introduced her new invention, the Bowwow — a robot designed to pet an owner’s furry friend while they’re out of the house.
“What if there was some way we can help dogs feel happy and satisfied while their owners are away from home?” she told theDel Mar Times. “And so from there, I thought of this automatic dog scratcher and we developed the name the Bowwow.”
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Matwiyoff told the outlets that she got the idea after watching an episode of ABC’sShark Tank, noting her ambition to pitch her idea on the show one day. She spent the next four years creating a prototype for the Bowwow with the help of her mother, a fellow entrepreneur.
After Matwiyoff completed a prototype of the Bowwow, she said she came across a Capstone Design and Engineering program at Chico State, which would allow her to pitch her invention to a group of engineers and professors in hopes of getting it manufactured. However, she admitted the feedback on the Bow Wow wasn’t the best.
The critique lit a fire within Matwiyoff and she said she spent the next four months conducting field research at the Helen Woodward Animal Shelter, testing the Bowwow on dogs of all shapes, sizes and ages.
With the success of her product, she’s hoping to catch an investor’s eye soon and bring her invention to the market.
“Once you fuel that passion for it, and convey it to others they’re more interested in your product and want to invest and put their time into it,” she added.
For now, Matwiyoff told theDel Mar Timesthat she’s excited to keep herShark Tankdream alive as she prepares to head to the University of Alabama Honors College.
“I know the transition between high school and college is going to be tough and stressful, so I’m also open to the idea that wherever this takes me is where it’s meant to be, but I’m going to do the work that I can to bring it to market,” she told the newspaper.
source: people.com
