Pet devices are only getting smarter and smarter, and there’s no doubt that the Enabot brand of pet products is about to be pioneers in this market.
While there are so many great products that can keep an eye out on your pet, feed your pets, and even play with your pets, The Enabot ROLA PetPal Robot Pet Companion is a product that does all this and more.
Design
The Enabot ROLA PetPal Robot Pet Companion is slightly on the larger side, and can be a bit harder to find storage for around the house, particularly with the additional pet feeder and interactive toy module.
It had a screen emulating a “face”, to disguise where the 2.5k camera is placed, for a more friendly look and feel. With durable wheels, it can also withstand going over higher surfaces and works great on carpets.
From a design perspective, the look and feel of the robot, including the different modules, was clean and subtle, with a simple black and white colouring. Making it easy to blend into the home.
Performance
Since the Enabot ROLA PetPal Robot Pet Companion was a bit on the larger side, it made it a little harder for my two miniature dachshunds to get used to. But after a while (and a few treats from the companion here and there), they got accustomed to it quite quickly.
There was an ease to the way the robot moved. There were no jolts or sudden stops (unless done by the user), and it was pretty seamless moving through the home with the dogs.
The two-way communication is fantastic, with very clear audio from both sides. But while there is a function for pets to be able to initiate communication and calls with owners with a touch of a button, the product doesn’t really work well for smaller dogs due to their shorter legs. So we weren’t able to fully utilise this aspect because of this.
There was also an issue with the charging dock being quite light, so when placed on flooring that isn’t carpet, it ended up moving around when the robot was trying to find its place to auto recharge. We even tried to move the product to lean against a wall, but it still seemed to move quite a bit.
Programmed presets to play with pets were simple and operated at the touch of a button on the main viewfinder. Functions included getting the robot to move in various ways to engage the pets, and sounds that would gain their attention; these great features were included without any of the additional modules.
Speaking of, the attachment of the toy module not only had the plastic balls to capture the attention of pets, but it was also able to make the teasing stick move up and down, and point a laser in the room. The toy module also came with heaps of different attachments. But despite this, my pets (being dogs) were not as entertained by this aspect. They paid more attention to the treat dispenser module.
The treat dispenser was another great extension to the robot, but it was quite irregular with the amount of treats it would release. It would sometimes go from two treats to 15 treats. So it can be quite hard to gauge how many treats were given to pets if not monitoring them in real life. But in saying that, this was a great incentive to help our dogs get used to the robot, knowing that it was rewarding them and giving them something they sought after.
My only big issue with these modules was that there weren’t any instructions on how to detach or attach them, so it took a little bit of time to figure out how to swap each attachment out.
Software
The ROLA app needed to be downloaded to your smart device and be connected to Wi-Fi to be able to use the Enabot ROLA PetPal Robot Pet Companion. But a simple set-up only required users to point the camera at a QR code, before the robot came to life.
The app is the main control for feeding, playing, and keeping a watchful eye on your pet. It features many key elements to ease worry for pet owners, including night vision to check in on your pets in any environment, and the ability to capture images and videos of your pets.
Due to the AI capabilities, the robot is also able to recognise cats or dogs, and take images of them in the moment.
There’s an option to opt into a Cloud+ subscription, giving users unlimited storage and smart alerts. But it still functioned great without this.
Verdict & Value
While there are a few practical elements that made it a bit difficult to use, the Enabot ROLA PetPal Robot Pet Companion is a fantastic start for an all-in-one pet product in the pet tech world.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: There are heaps of features to keep pets entertained and active, and the camera quality is great.
Lowlights: The modules were a bit difficult to attach and detach without clear instructions; The charging dock was very light and moved around a lot; Some of the features weren’t suitable for smaller dogs; The teasing stick on the toy module was more attractive to cats rather than dogs.
Manufacturer: Enabot
Price: A$429 (for the device itself) + A$99 (Treat Dispenser) + A$99 (Interactive Toy Module)
Available: Now
Review based on units supplied by Enabot and is available via the official Enabot website.
