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Engineering
ESP32-S3 dual-core MCU drives a 4-MEMS PDM microphone array (storm detection + classification at 80 Hz) plus an OV5640 120-degree wide camera running on-device MobileNet v3 INT8 inference for dog-pose classification (calm | alert | anxious | absent), plus a near-silent N20 12V gear motor + Delrin helical auger for treat delivery (<40 dB at 1 m). The companion mobile app pairs over BLE and syncs telemetry over WiFi; a thin cloud control plane (FastAPI + Postgres on Render, R2 object storage for 30-sec session clips) handles cloud-fallback inference, OTA firmware, Stripe billing, and session-history aggregation. Mains-powered via USB-C - no battery in the dispense path so brownouts cannot mis-time a treat during a session.
Vertical front-elevation cross-section through the Pawvlov M chassis (140x140x165 mm). Top to bottom: snap-close hopper chamber with 35-degree gravity funnel feeding the N20 gear motor and Delrin helical auger inside an acoustic-foam-lined chamber targeting less than 40 dB at 1 m; OV5640 camera and 4x ICS-40180 MEMS mic array on the front face at dog-eye level; 8x 940 nm IR LEDs in the lower body for low-light camera assist (invisible to canine vision); 4-layer ESP32-S3 main PCB in the lower bay; 40mm I2S speaker at lower-front; SK6812 RGBW LED ring at the base perimeter. Sage-green TPE treat tray shown EXTERNAL — dog must approach the device to eat, mechanically reinforcing approach behavior as part of the DACVB counter-conditioning protocol. S/L variants share all PCB and electronics; enclosure height and hopper volume scale per-size.
S/L variants: same PCB and electronics; enclosure height and hopper volume scale. Tray is external to the sealed chassis — the dog must walk toward the device to retrieve the treat, mechanically reinforcing approach behavior as part of the DACVB counter-conditioning protocol.
Chip selection
ESP32-S3 chosen for integrated WiFi + BLE + dual-core 240 MHz with SIMD vector instructions for on-device INT8 inference at ~$3.85 per chip @1K MOQ ($3.20 @10K).
Sensor & camera architecture
Floor-level 120-degree wide camera reads dog body language; 4-mic PDM MEMS array detects low-frequency thunder and classifies storm vs household noise; IMU detects tip-over for safety lockout.
- OmniVision OV5640 5 MP CMOS camera + 120-degree wide lens
- InvenSense ICS-40180 PDM MEMS microphones (4 array)
- Bosch BMI270 6-axis IMU
- 940 nm IR-assist LED ring (8 LEDs, floor-facing)
ML inference pipeline
Two-stage inference: on-device MobileNet v3-Small classifies dog state every 500 ms; cloud Gemini Vision fallback handles borderline cases (confidence < 0.7) when WiFi is connected.
Power & battery
USB-C mains powered for session reliability; no battery in the dispense path because a brownout mid-session would mis-time the treat and risk fear reinforcement.
Firmware architecture
FreeRTOS dual-core split: mic + inference + state machine on core 1, WiFi + BLE + cloud sync on core 0. Hardware watchdog + dispense safety lockout on motor stall current.
Manufacturing process
- Injection mold (4-cavity ABS shell, separate molds for S / M / L)
- Overmolded TPE silicone treat tray (food-grade, FDA-compliant)
- SMT PCBA line + AOI inspection on the 4-layer 1.8 mm PCB
- Functional end-of-line test (mic frequency sweep, camera focus check, auger cycle, BLE/WiFi RF validation)
- Acoustic chamber QC sample audit confirming < 40 dB at 1 m on dispense
Architecture summary
ESP32-S3 dual-core MCU drives a 4-MEMS PDM microphone array (storm detection + classification at 80 Hz) plus an OV5640 120-degree wide camera running on-device MobileNet v3 INT8 inference for dog-pose classification (calm | alert | anxious | absent), plus a near-silent N20 12V gear motor + Delrin helical auger for treat delivery (<40 dB at 1 m). The companion mobile app pairs over BLE and syncs telemetry over WiFi; a thin cloud control plane (FastAPI + Postgres on Render, R2 object storage for 30-sec session clips) handles cloud-fallback inference, OTA firmware, Stripe billing, and session-history aggregation. Mains-powered via USB-C - no battery in the dispense path so brownouts cannot mis-time a treat during a session.
Risk register
Risk register
| Risk | Severity | Likelihood | Mitigation | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-device dog-pose classifier accuracy drops on dark-coat breeds in low-light home environments; a calm-state misclassification = treat during fear state = iatrogenic outcome and brand-collapsing viral failure thread | High | Medium | 940 nm IR-assist LED ring (invisible to dogs) extends low-light range; confidence threshold 0.7 + cloud-fallback inference for borderline cases; Phase 2 beta data collection deliberately oversamples dark-coat breeds and dim rooms; quarterly OTA model updates | Modeled |
| OV5640 camera EOL or supply disruption mid-production; sole-source for the primary inference sensor | Medium | Medium | Qualify pin-compatible second source (ARC0143 / SC130GS) before the 10K production run; maintain 6-month buffer stock at 1K MOQ | Sourced |
| FCC Part 15C intentional-radiator certification slips past launch window due to BLE+WiFi co-existence RF emissions | Medium | Low | Pre-scan at design freeze with in-house spectrum analyzer; engage Sporton lab early for Phase 3 Month 1 submission; $3K remediation reserve inside capital_ask | Modeled |
| TPE-to-ABS overmold adhesion fails after 6+ months of treat-residue cleaning cycles; treat tray separates from chassis under field use | Medium | Medium | Material supplier DFM review at PCB rev 2; accelerated wear test (1,000 cleaning cycles) before committing production tooling; 12-month replacement warranty reserve in COGS | Assumption |
| Auger motor stalls on oversized treats jamming the helical screw; a mid-dispense stall = unfinished session = wrong association reinforced | Medium | Medium | Stall-current detection triggers safe-stop + reverse-jog jam-clear routine; user-facing 'recommended treat size' guidance on packaging + app; physical hopper-feed geometry rejects oversized treats at the throat | Modeled |
| Injection-mold tooling lead time exceeds 12 weeks (Shenzhen partner), pushing launch to Month 24+ | High | Medium | Lock partner + lead-time commitment in writing by Phase 2 Month 2; stage 30% deposit on Phase 3 go-signal; arrange express freight reserve ($5K) if needed to compress timeline | Sourced |
Dimensions (to scale)
Overall dimensions by model
| Model | Height (mm) | Width (mm) | Depth (mm) | Weight (g) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 142 | 127 | 127 | 480 | Breeds under 20 lbs; 60-treat hopper; 120g steel ballast; 50mm tray |
| Medium | 165 | 140 | 140 | 620 | Breeds 20-60 lbs; 180-treat hopper; 200g ballast; 64mm tray — director baseline |
| Large | 200 | 161 | 161 | 880 | Breeds over 60 lbs; 400-treat hopper; 280g ballast; 81mm tray; taller hopper chamber |
Component dimensions (to scale)
| Component | Value (mm) | Tolerance | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayonet lid OD | S:89 / M:102 / L:117 | ±0.3mm | Quarter-turn child-proof push+turn; flush with top face |
| Hopper chamber height | S:52 / M:70 / L:95 | ±0.5mm | Capacity 60 / 180 / 400 treats by size |
| Camera bore OD | 15 | ±0.1mm | OV5640 module seat + brushed aluminum ring; shared all sizes |
| Camera lens FOV | 120 degrees (all sizes) | ±2 degrees | Fixed wide lens, no mechanical zoom |
| MEMS mic spacing | 12 | ±0.2mm | Center-to-center x4 mics, horizontal array, flush front face |
| Acoustic foam chamber wall | 12 | ±0.5mm | Closed-cell melamine foam; 35-40 dB dispense attenuation |
| Auger helical pitch | S:9 / M:14 / L:19 | ±0.2mm | One full helix per treat cell; per-size Delrin POM part |
| Auger throat diameter | S:8 / M:13 / L:18 | ±0.1mm | Max treat OD = throat minus 1mm clearance |
| Funnel angle | 35 degrees from vertical (all sizes) | ±1 degree | Gravity feed; prevents treat bridging at the throat |
| Silicone tray extension | S:50 / M:64 / L:81 | ±0.5mm | Forward from chassis front face; per-size TPE part |
| Silicone tray well depth | S:8 / M:10 / L:12 | ±0.3mm | Prevents treat roll-off; Shore 40A TPE |
| Speaker aperture OD | 38 | ±0.3mm | Behind front lower mesh grille; shared all sizes |
| LED ring orbit diameter | S:100 / M:118 / L:135 | ±0.5mm | SK6812 RGBW under-glow ring at base perimeter |
| USB-C port recess depth | 3 | ±0.2mm | Recessed with silicone gasket; shared all sizes |
| ABS wall thickness | 2.5 | ±0.1mm | Structural minimum for 1m drop test; all sizes |
| PCB dimensions | 100 x 70 | ±0.1mm | 4-layer 1.6mm FR4; shared across all three size variants |
| Base ballast disc OD | S:70 / M:85 / L:100 | ±0.5mm | Steel disc; S=120g / M=200g / L=280g embedded in ABS base plate |
Inside the device
