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| 'No more woof' as headset translate canine thoughts into words |
What if your dog could greet you with more than a growl, or announce the reason he's scratching at the door, or even speak out when lied on?
It sounds absurd and much like the storyline from the Pixar film, “Up,”
but Scandinavian scientists are working to develop a headset that could
soon allow your furry best friend to speak his mind.
The Nordic Society for Invention and Discovery is the brains behind “No
More Woof” -- technology that aims to distinguish canine thought
patterns and then issue them as short sentences via a microphone.
“The brainwaves differ quite a lot from different races as well as
individual dogs,” NSID writes on their website. “However it is possible
to detect some common patterns and we have no doubt that in the future
this technology will open up a vast new era of communication between
dogs and humans, or animals in general and humans.”
The research team, who previously brought the world such inventions as
the pet flying carpet, weren’t immediately available for comment on
Wednesday, but explained the most recent project on their website.
“No More Woof is the result of combining the latest technologies in
three different tech-areas - EEG (electroencephalography) sensoring,
micro computing and special [brain-computer interface] software,” the
researchers wrote.
The operating system relies on sensors in the headset which detect
electric signals in the dog's brainwaves. Technology from an in-built
processing device then analyses the signal patterns and deciphers them
into distinct feelings like anger, curiosity or tiredness.
Sample sentences such as “I’m hungry – but I don’t like this!” or "I'm
curious who that is?" will be programmed into the device and emitted
through a loudspeaker.
English translations will be available, but Putonghua, French and
Spanish language headsets will come later, the researchers say.
How exactly scientists will attach the sensors into a dog's brain has
yet to be ironed out. Issues like this, as well as the ethical and
social concerns, are the reason why there’s a whole lot more research to
be done before the technology becomes available.
The headsets are, however, available for pre-purchase on indiegogo
as part of the research funding campaign, with three different versions
that range in functionality and price, from $65 for the micro to $300
for the standard version or $1,200 for the Superior customizable
mini-speaker, replete with engraved dog tag.
You might have to wait a while for the first prototype to arrive in the
mail, but the implications are enormous, the researchers say.
And as friendship is a two-way street, it’s only fitting that the
scientists are also aiming to develop a reverse headset for humans to
bark their way into the hearts of their canine buddies.
Other applications and accessories the researchers have in their
far-sighted future include a “Pavlovian training kit,” with original
instructions by the physiologist Ivan Pavlov, to further the owner-pet
bond through the use of play and classical conditioning.
“Right now we are only scraping the surface of possibilities,” the
researchers write. “The first version will be quite rudimentary. But
hey, the first computer was pretty crappy too.”
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