Presenting the Remote Controlled Super Doggie [Dogs]

Dogs are smart-they deftly navigate obstacles and help us locate contraband like weapons and medication-but they’re easily distracted. This new GPS- and radio-equipped harness allows computers to keep trained pups on task remotely with sounds and vibrations.

The harness, developed at Auburn University, solves the main shortcoming of trained canines: they ought to remain in close physical proximity with a handler. The rig has GPS sensors, a processor and a wireless radio, and a computer programmed with a target destination can remotely trigger tones or vibrate the pack on both sides to steer the dog. The humans, presumably, are kicking back and drinking margaritas.

In a preliminary test a yellow lab named Major followed the harnesses computer-given directions 80% of the time (while the computer itself correctly administered those directions 90% of the time). Pretty good!

Paul Waggoner, a senior scientist at the Canine Detection Research Institute, acknowledges that some people might object to technologies that make it easier for us to place dogs in dangerous situations. But ” the truth is,” he explains, ” a dog is way more capable at avoiding, recovering, and basically retreating from any type of dangerous situation than someone is…Often, someone is what’s encumbering a dog.” And maybe sometimes an enormous computer backpack. [ Discovery via PopSci ]

Source

This post is tagged: auburn university, dangerous situation, dangerous situations, physical proximity, target destination