Obi is a simple and beautiful device that belies its true function: a pet toy. It sits on a shelf or mantle in your home, and, when activated, it shoots a laser— something most cats (and some dogs) go wild for. Using your iPhone or iPad, you can control the laser manually, or set it up in automatic mode, where you can customize the way Obi behaves.
One big motivation for us to make Obi was the lack of well designed and simple interactive toys for pets. We tried a wide-range of automatic pet toys, but they all felt a little, well, under designed. We wanted to make an object that would fit with a variety of home decor styles, but at the same time would stand out.
Dan Provost
Tom Gerhardt
We knew from the get-go that we wanted some sort of natural material involved to bring some warmth into the design. For a long time we were thinking wood, but there were some price and quality control issues that made wood not quite right in this case. Cork, however, turned out to be a great decision. It has a really nice medium tonal value that works with the two light and dark version of Obi. Also, we are using a molding process to form the cork face, so the finish will be smooth and the process consistent.
In the end, we decided that Obi should come in two options: light and dark. At first however, we had planned on a much more complex offering. Our initial idea was to have multiple colors of 'backs' or enclosures for Obi, each with interchangeable 'faces'. Marble, metal, plastic, wood, cork were all in the mix initially. However, because this project is launching on Kickstarter, we decided to simplify the offering to reduce logistical complexity. Now that we've launched we're glad we went the simpler route.
Aside from the product itself, we are producing a podcast about the creation of Obi called Thoroughly Considered. Dan and I recorded every conversation we had about Obi in anticipation of this, so we have a bunch of awesome stuff to share. Our goal with the podcast is to pull back the curtain and show all the ups and downs of producing a product at scale. It should be a wild ride.
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