A start-up from Buchs (ZH) went to RTL TV to present a revolutionary invention: the KittyFlap. In other words, a cat flap that was supposed to prevent cats from bringing prey home. According to its designers, the flap of the cat flap had to remain closed if the pet tried to come back inside with a mouse or bird in its mouth.
The project, which used sensors and artificial intelligence, had been in development for four years. To inject new money into the business, the company opened pre-orders, to be paid immediately. Some 500 interested parties went to the checkout and purchased a cat flap for around 500 francs.
Some of them received the hardware, but quickly became disillusioned because the gadget suffered from repeated bugs. Others have never seen the color of their order. The KittyFlap therefore ended in a flop and bankruptcy proceedings have been underway since October. No one can be reached in the company anymore.
The few holders of the invention are forced to throw it in the trash. It is no longer usable, because the system requires a connection to an application which is now out of order. Damaged customers hope to be able to recover part of their deposit, even if the chances of achieving this in the event of bankruptcy are slim.
