Most dog owners have spent time thinking about what their dogs would say if they could talk. Now, researchers at North Carolina State University are trying to invent a new technology that would help us decode “dog talk.”
David Roberts, a computer science professor, is working with his team to create new ways to communicate with canines. The wireless harness they are currently working on sends signals to the dog in the form of vibrations, and then sensors on the harness send information from the dog back to the researchers.
Obviously they would love their product to eventually be marketed to dog owners, but they know that won’t be any time in the near future. They are hoping to make a more compact version of their device, possibly fitting on a collar, and also pair it with an app of some kind that would make it easier for dog owners to receive the information.
As you can see from the video, these smart harnesses would be especially useful for search-and-rescue dogs, guide dogs, and all other working dogs. It would allow handlers to communicate with their dogs and also pass information from the dog back to the handler that they may not be able to interpret otherwise.
