Muro is a smart terrarium system designed to support responsible and sustainable exotic animal care by balancing the needs of pet owners with animal health, welfare, and environmental considerations.

Background

As exotic animals such as reptiles, amphibians, and birds become increasingly popular as companion animals, owners often struggle to maintain appropriate habitats and access reliable care information. Inadequate husbandry can negatively affect animal welfare and, in cases of abandonment, contribute to ecological problems.

Research

We surveyed 108 exotic pet owners and conducted 3 in-depth interviews to understand their experiences, challenges, and needs.

Three key challenges emerged:

• Habitat Management — Difficulty continuously maintaining appropriate temperature, humidity, ventilation, lighting, and cleanliness.

• Habitat Customization — Difficulty reconfiguring habitats without compromising animal health or safety.

• Reliable Knowledge — Limited access to trustworthy and verified husbandry information.

Design Direction

Based on these findings, we focused on three principles:

Monitor
Support continuous monitoring of habitat conditions and animal health.

Customize
Enable owners to easily reconfigure the habitat through a flexible modular structure.

Connect
Create a knowledge-sharing community connecting exotic pet owners with trusted experts.

Solution

Muro connects exotic animals, their owners, and experts through a smart terrarium and companion mobile app.

The smart terrarium integrates essential habitat components and monitoring functions into a modular system, allowing owners to manage environmental conditions and customize the habitat more easily.

The connected app functions as a digital husbandry journal, enabling owners to monitor their animals, access verified care information from experts, document their experiences, and exchange knowledge with other owners.

Impact

Muro explores how technology and design can foster a more responsible relationship between humans and exotic companion animals.

By integrating monitoring, modular habitat design, and knowledge sharing, the system aims to improve animal health and well-being while supporting more responsible and sustainable husbandry practices.