Add an Animatronic, Bluetooth-Controlled Furry Tail to Your Wardrobe
The Tail Company, creators of the DIGITAiL, is launching a new animatronic, Bluetooth-controlled tail, called miTail, through Kickstarter.
I write about technology and don't claim to understand fashion. I'm pretty sure that you aren't supposed to wear a brown belt with black shoes and that fanny packs are hip again, but that is the extent of my knowledge. I don't, for instance, get why you would want to wear a faux fox tail to the local comic book shop. But I do think that if you're going to go that route, you should do it with gusto. And now you can, thanks to the new miTail animatronic, Bluetooth-controlled furry tail.
The miTail animatronic tail just launched on Kickstarter, with a very conservative funding goal of $4,183. Thanks to more than 60 backers, the Kickstarter campaign has already tripled that funding goal. The miTail is made by The Tail Company, which has already launched the more rudimentary DIGITAiL motorized tail and EarGear moving ears through Kickstarter. The Tail Company has been making moving tails since 2005 and those tails have been popular among furries, LARPers, cosplayers, and anyone who wants to add a tail to their fursona.
Like the previous DIGITAiL, the miTail is a motorized, battery-powered tail that you can control through a smartphone app connected via Bluetooth. You can select from pre-defined movements, like a fast wag or a timid tremble. But there are also more complex modes. For example, you can move your phone around and the tail will mimic that movement. Or you can configure the app so that the tail reacts to events, so the tail will wag when you get an email or phone call. If you don't want to carry your phone around, the tail can be setup to cycle through simple movements without a connection.
When compared to the DIGITAiL, the new miTail is 20 percent lighter, has a new clip design, and features fast USB-C charging. Covers are swappable, so you can quickly switch between a cat tail, dog tail, and something more exotic. The built-in battery lasts for four to five hours, but miTail also supports external power banks if you're going to an all-day con.
If you want a miTail, the Kickstarter campaign is running until May 29th. You can get a naked miTail (without cover) for £135 (about $189) or a miTail with a custom cover for £145 ($203). Backers can expect to receive their rewards in August of this year.