FurReal AR Pet Simulator
An AR pet simulator that prepares prospective pet owners through gamified, hands-on experience adapted to their living space and lifestyle.
Over 23 Million Households — But Was Anyone Ready?
Over 23 million American households adopted pets for companionship while working from home. However, many underestimated the long-term responsibilities of pet ownership — feeding, grooming, exercise, and social interaction.
Rushed adoptions often result in unintentional neglect, mistreatment, or even abandonment. As a result, many prospective pet owners now hesitate, unsure if they can provide quality care and commitment.
Challenge
While beginner guides are accessible, they have low generalizability, lacking hands-on experience and personalization. Without a way to practice real routines tailored to their lifestyle, prospective pet owners often feel unprepared and anxious about adoption.
How might we prepare prospective pet owners for the time commitment, lifestyle adjustment, and emotional resilience before adopting a real pet?
Contextual Inquiry
Surveyed 50+ participants; interviewed 8 pet owners and 2 prospective owners to identify patterns of pain in first-time pet ownership.
- Time Commitment — Daily care (feeding, grooming, exercise, social interaction) is challenging for students and full-time workers
- Hands-on Experience — Beginner guides lack hands-on practice, leaving aspiring owners anxious
- Trial and Error — Experienced owners learn pet intentions through body language over time
- Training or Abuse? — Lack of space and unprepared owners can lead to unintentional neglect
“Pet insurance takes lots of money, vet, vaccination… like adding a child to the family. Puppy cried non-stop, barked constantly, pee everywhere. Inflexible lifestyle — hard to host sleepovers or travel.”
“Am I at the right stage to bring a cat if I can’t be around it a decent amount? I’m stressed about setting him up for failure.”
Ideation
Phase 1 — Diverge
60+ solutions via Crazy Eights + Quadrant Analysis, spanning time-management tools, hands-on practice kits, and community support systems.
Phase 2 — Converge
Consolidated into recurring themes: time commitment, feeling unprepared, and complex tasks like grooming and training.
Phase 3 — Focus
FurReal emerged as an AR pet care simulator — combining spatial AI, gamification, and personalized readiness tracking.
Hannah’s Critique: “Think about scenarios, don’t be too obsessed with new technologies. Holding a controller during dog walking doesn’t feel natural. Be specific — design a toolkit for different pet care activities.”
Participatory Workshop
Co-designed with prospective pet owners and pet care experts:
Making
Participants modified their daily schedule as if they had just adopted a pet — exposing realistic time conflicts.
Acting
Simulated dog walking using mobile or AR glasses with random events injected mid-scenario.
Telling
Participants read AI-generated scenario cards and shared honest reactions about adoption readiness.
Key Takeaway: Phone-controller setup felt cumbersome; final design used phone + AR glasses + controller for ergonomic, immersive experience.
Self-Directed Research
Attended Hrvoje Benko’s DUB seminar on Meta Reality Lab (Orion, Project Aria, contextual AI, hand input).
Key insight: Smart Glasses + Contextual AI + Hand Input = Immersive XR
Cody Char: “In a science fair, you’d be attracted by interactive potatoes 🥔 rather than flat paper panels — put more ‘potatoes’ in XR.”
An Experiential Learning Kit That Builds Routines
FurReal is a pet care experience simulator that offers gamified, interactive, and data-driven learning that adapts to each user’s needs.
AR Device
Analyzes user inputs and surroundings through image recognition; guides users through pet care tasks with real-time audio cues and step-by-step AR overlays.
Companion App
AR scanning on mobile, ensuring accessibility with or without AR hardware; AI-generated personalized adoption insights and gamification.
AR Stickers
Placed on stationary pet care items (food bowls, beds, litter areas); scan to complete tasks via hand gestures.
Pet Care Supplies
Subscription-based real tools for hands-on practice; AR-guided tutorials for complex tasks.
Onboarding — Context-Aware AI
AI-powered pets recognize and interact with the user’s physical environment, making the simulation more immersive and practical.
- Construct a spatial map — FurReal adapts pet behaviors to real-world obstacles, furniture, and room layouts.
- Connect mobile to AR glasses — enables real-time awareness across devices.
- Install AR stickers — mark pet care stations; FurReal integrates 3D models with precise spatial awareness.
Gamification + Readiness Tracking
Push notifications nudge users to complete pet care tasks. Hands-on, interactive tasks replicate real pet care situations with real-time feedback.
Earn Consistency XP and Bonding XP toward pet adoption readiness. FurReal tracks four readiness metrics: Consistency, Bonding, Hygiene, Health — giving users a clear, tangible measure of adoption readiness.