When Ashesi University moved lectures online in 2020, Electrical and Electronics major, Michael Boateng, 22 got a pet dog - his long-held desire, for company.

Spending more time at home due to the new mode of lectures, he raised the dog, which he named Tina.

However, a few weeks after he got the foreign-breed, it passed away. It was a painful experience and a hard lesson for him. 

"Foreign breed dogs like Tina have high nutritional and medical needs - especially in infancy," Michael shared.

"The dogs need water, food, and medication at specific intervals. If these needs are unmet, owners may lose their dogs or spend a lot of money on their health care," he noted

When it was time to choose a senior-year project this past academic year, Michael decided to work on better ways to raise pets based on his experiences.

After reading more about pet ownership, he came across this gap in the Ghanaian pet care practices he thought needs to be addressed. 

Michael built an automated dog feeder modelled after feeders on the global market, but at a much lower cost.
The feeder has an automated food, water, and medication dispenser, with a companion mobile app for active monitoring.

His prototype also includes a low-frequency dog whistle that could be triggered remotely to signal a dog when it is time for feeding - even when the owner was away from home.

At his Commencement Ceremony in June, the Engineering department named Michael's project the best for the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Class of 2022. 

"I struggled the most with designing the structure to house all the components of the device in a way that could allow all the parts to work together seamlessly," Michael related.

"It was a challenging project, but I pulled it off with support and encouragement from my supervisor Mr. Akparibo and advisor Dr. Amankwah," he said.