This DIY internet-connected hamster wheel lets you see how fast your fluffy friend is going

There's a running joke in the tech world. Whenever a computer takes time to process something or a server crawls to a slow, we joke about the hamster powering the hardware getting tired. But how much does a hamster run in a wheel on any given day? And, more importantly, how do we keep an eye on a hamster's stats through an internet-connected device that keeps us up-to-date on his exercise? You know, the important questions.

Well, worry no more, as someone has invented this excellent DIY hamster wheel tracker that keeps tabs on how fast your pet is going. Plus, it has internet connectivity, so you can see how they're faring in real time from anywhere.

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Ruby’s Connected Hamster Wheel is an IoT pet project

This fun idea comes to us via Giulio Pons on Hackaday. They kept tabs on the statistics of a small hamster named Ruby, who lived for two years. I looked it up; hamsters are considered elderly when they hit 1.5 years old, so Ruby was a very old girl when she passed.

Giulio Pons decided against getting more caged pets, but they were nice enough to share the Ruby’s Connected Hamster Wheel specifications. It combines a Wemos D1 Mini (ESP8266), a reed sensor, and an OLED display to track the maximum speed, total distance run, time spent running, and average speed during wheel sessions.

As you might imagine, the project specification for this DIY kit is very important and precious:

• Track how far, how fast, and how long Ruby runs
• Visualize and export data
• Learn more about a Phodopus campbelli hamster behavior through real data

Using this wheel, Giulio calculated that Ruby ran an average of 2.77km (1.72 miles) a day, at an average speed of 1.38 km/h (0.86 mph) and a blisteringly fast max speed of 6.73 km/h (4.18 mph). She would spend around two hours a day on the wheel.

So, if you've ever wondered how fast your own fluffy friend is going, head over to the Hackaday page linked above and check out the specifications to see how you can make your own. And if your pets are a bit too big for this project, how about making a Raspberry Pi TV for your cat?