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 Researchers at North Carolina State University are combining their
love for dogs with their love of technology.
A joint project between the computer science and electrical and
computer engineering departments and the College of Veterinary
Medicine has developed new technology designed to improve
communication between dogs and humans.
"We are developing what we are referring to as a 'smart harness' and
you can think of the 'smart harness' as a platform for two-way
computer-mediated communication between dogs and handlers," says Dr.
David Roberts, an assistant professor of computer science whose dog
Diesel is one of their primary lab partners.
The smart harness is a computer-equipped backpack that fits
comfortably on a dog's back. One of the project's prototypes
features a twin battery back on both sides of the dog, a mounted
webcam, vibrating motors similar to the technology that makes a cell
phone buzz, and a wireless USB adapter, among other technologies.
 Using a tablet to send signals to the harness and to the dog, the
researchers are able to see how the dog reacts and interprets the
modes of communication.
On a recent day, the team was training Diesel to associate the
vibrating buzz on its sides with hand signals given by Roberts. One
member of the team used a tablet to prompt the vibration on the side
of the dog's body which he wanted the dog to turn. Roberts then used
his hand to reinforce the direction of the command.
"We're using this technology to ask some very fundamental questions
about the nature of the way that animals can perceive
computer-mediated communications and the way they can interact with
computers in order to send digital signals across wireless
communication links to handlers," Roberts says.
The technology can also reveal the position of the dog -- whether
it's standing, sitting, walking or running -- by sending signals
back to the handler.
Researchers say the technology has multiple applications, including
for search and rescue dogs and training pets.
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The technology can also be customized for different purposes. One
prototype features three electrocardiography electrodes which can
monitor the heart rate and transmit that data to a tablet. This
allows researchers and dog handlers to monitor the dog's physical
well-being.
"Just as one example, this project gives us the capability for the
dog to inform us of that sort of information and for us to evaluate
the dog's welfare. Is it overheating? Is it in a safe area? So with
interfaces on the dog, we can keep the dog safer and be more
sensitive to the subtle information that the dog is communicating to
us," says Dr. Barbara Sherman, a clinical professor of behavioral
medicine.
Much of the technology comes off the shelf but the researchers are
repurposing the equipment for use with dogs.
Dr. Alpert Bozkurt, an assistant professor of electrical and
computer engineering, says that the technology offers everyday
people an opportunity to bond with their dogs and extra tools to
train them.
"Our dream is to give people the capability to train their dogs like
professionals at home, so that the pets can be turned into working
animals. For example, for search and rescue, when there's a big
disaster in an urban environment, hundreds of houses collapsed, and
there's only a certain number of trained dogs, so this would give us
the capability to train more and more dogs for such purposes,"
Bozkurt says.
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