Tech for pets takes centrestage at IFA 2026

Technology has enhanced our lives by leaps and bounds, and Innovation For All (IFA) 2026 in Berlin showcased several innovations around technology for pets that can keep them safe, let them get their own grooming experience or get you a translation so you get an idea of what they are plotting.

We also saw complete pet replacements, so you can consider a cute pet robo panda or dog for your home. Here are some of our top picks:

Automatic litter boxes

We all know how cleaning the litter boxes go, and there has been a lot of innovation around that so far. However, the show floor was packed with next generation, self-cleaning litter units such as the PetSuper LitterGo and CATLINK Pro-X. The latter is capable of making health checks on your cat’s bathroom frequency, duration and weight, with alerts sent to your smartphone. Nekasa also showcased many of their self-cleaning, litter box tech options, including a large, see-through cocoon that lets you watch kitty do their business, if you are into that. Petgugu also turned heads with its self-flushing smart cat toilet, which hooks up to your plumbing.

Drying stations

It is typically tricky trying to get your pet dry off after their bath and blow-drying stress is a real thing for animals. Smart dryer boxes are now here, such as the PetSuper DryGo equipped with temperature-regulated warm airflows, gentle climate sensors, and ultra-quiet fans. These stations let pets dry off comfortably without the terrifying roar of a handheld hair dryer.

Leash smartphones and activity trackers

The biggest surprise was the first AI smartphone for pets, which is a smart collar from Petpogo called PetPhone which packs in a tiny speaker that lets you talk to your four-legged companion. Another innovation from SATELLAI was an AI-Powered GPS dog collar that detects set geo-fences, and when your pet moves out of that grid, it hears your recorded voice telling it to come back. It also comes with a variant that tracks health and activity such as sleep, movement and more, and sends the information to your smartphone. 

Pet translators

Google Translate has not yet made it to the pet world, though there are companies that are doing things in this space. AI vocalisation tech made a major splash at IFA 2026 with wearable hardware such as the PettiChat AI Collar and smart home ecosystem integrations from brands like Haier. By processing audio through edge-computing chips and cross-referencing millions of barking and purring samples with veterinary behavior models, these devices analyse real-time emotional states. Translated by your smartphone, they tell you in just a few seconds if your lovely cat is hungry or planning world domination. 

Feeding stations

If you are a busy human and mealtimes need to happen like clockwork, there are a lot of AI and innovative products on the floor. Nekasa showed Riko, which mixes wet food in realtime from Petgugu’s AI smart food dispenser, and tracks feeding volumes and eating behavior to ensure clear portion control. PETKIT’s YumShare featured a dual-hopper camera that uses AI to portion food, but you can spy on your pets eating, and share stories as well, complete with music. If you have multiple pets, then Petlibro has RFID feeders to identify and serve separate diets. Petwant showcased vacuum-sealed storage dispensers, and PetSuper FeedView units streamed HD video directly to smartphones.  

Water fountains

You cannot skip on hydration, given the accelerating El Nino levels of heat. Smart fountains such as the PetSuper HydriGo and Neakasa’s smart hydration systems were well liked. Petgugu also featured its flagship waterfall water dispenser, which uses a running waterfall stream alongside optical sensors to track drinking frequency and exact fluid intake down to the milliliter. Perhaps some benevolent billionaire will install multiple of these in every neighbourhood for our furry friends during those heat waves. 

Pet cameras

The age of AI hath now descended on your pet cameras, but they are far less creepy than those AI smart glasses. This tech is perfect for those, like me, who miss their pets and want to interact with them when at work as well. Dedicated devices such as the PetSuper ViGo AI Camera, petpogo PetCam AI, and Cozio Robotics’ mobile companion robots use physical movement, wide angle tracking, embodied AI, and interactive teaser toys to follow your pet around the house. Powered by dedicated pet-health language models, they deliver active companionship, continuous behavior tracking, and dynamic check-ins while you are away. 

Robotic pets

We are not talking about those quadruped robotic dogs from Black Mirror, though several of these were displayed on the show floor. A lot of care has gone into making robo pets cute, such as ECOVACS’ Lilmilo that can recognise your emotions and alter its behaviour accordingly.  OlloNi SS1 was one of the biggest crowd pullers with a different approach to smart pets, sporting a huge screen for a face, with wonderfully expressive eyes, some interesting movements and a furry neck that elevates.

It certainly is a new dawn for AI, emotionally sensing, robotic pet companions.