Better yet, you can don 3D goggles and get a real-time view of your pet, and even put on electric sensor footwear that allow you to walk a mile in your chicken's shoes.

ENGADGET: You got to know your chicken, and you can do it through the web

Researchers from Dartmouth have come up with a new way to provide health monitors just such an ability using a tiny electric current and a bioimpedance sensor.

ENGADGET: Researchers use bioimpedance as a biometric, let health monitor devices know who you are

There has been some informed speculation, and among what I have read, there seem to be more votes for it being an electric field (EF) sensor than any other explanation.

FORBES: Leap Motion Is Putting Its Future Into The Hands Of Software Developers

Since there's no physical interface on the device to configure WiFi, the company's developed Blinkup, a way to enter SSID and password information on any iOS and Android smartphone and beam it to the Electric Imp's light sensor by rapidly pulsing the handset's screen on and off.

ENGADGET: Hands-on with the Electric Imp at Maker Faire (video)

While it's already being used in art galleries and inside cameras (as sensor covers), Nippon Electric Glass is pushing hard to get its invisible glass featured on mobile devices -- the selling point here is simply to achieve the effect of somewhere in between glossy glass and matte glass, so that you'd get the best color vibrancy with minimal reflection.

ENGADGET: Nippon Electric Glass demos liquid crystal lens and 'invisible glass' at CEATEC (video)