Facial recognition technology can be used for faces that aren't human too, so it seems. A new app called PIP aims to bring that technology to the pet world. PIP will help lost pets find their owners through facial recognition.

If this sounds mind-blowing, that's because it is. But, it's also a technology that works. Take a look.

The Purpose of PIP

When a pet runs away from home or gets lost, it's pretty hard to find that pet's owner. Some pet owners go the microchip method, but this doesn't always work. For the most part, stray animals will be brought to animal shelters.

Sadly, an animal shelter means euthanasia for most strays. This can all be avoided with the help of one little app designed to make sure that pets always find their way back home.

According to developers, PIP is able to recognize around 98% of lost animals through facial recognition. That's a decent percentage. The app combines facial recognition tech that has been developed by one of the the most widely known and respected scientists in this area, Dr. Daesik Jang. As such, it's an app that works with the help of Jan's amazing technology. How does the system work?

An Amber Alert for Pets

PIP users can download the app for $1.49 per month. Some of those proceeds go to animal shelters, but that's not the point of the app, really. Once downloaded, users can scan pet faces using the app. In the instance that a pet goes missing, local animal shelters, social media outlets, and veterinarians are notified.

If a lost pet is found, the pet's face can be scanned and match to the faces in the PIP system. Hopefully, a direct match will be made, and this will result in a pet that's happily returned to its owner. The whole idea behind the app is a great one, and it will be an app that will likely save thousands of lost pets. But, first, the app needs to get funding.

PIP's Indiegogo Campaign

PIP developers need to raise $100,000 in order to get the app out there. That's a lot of money, and (at the time of this writing) the company has only raised around $2k. So, clearly, this app has a long way to go. If you do have a pet or two, think about donating to PIP. There are other ways to make sure that your pet is returned to you when lost, but PIP makes the whole process simpler.

Can facial recognition for pets actually work? The developers behind PIP say that it does, though some would-be users are slightly skeptical. There's also the mater of that monthly fee, which might be high for some people. On the flip side, that fee will go towards keeping the PIP database current, and that's really vital considering the scope of this project.

PIP will be iOS compatible when it's launched, but that doesn't mean that the app won't expand to other platforms (it's just where the developers have started for now). What do you think of PIP? Will it work?