In a recent article I wrote about research which was attempting to equip dogs with the latest computer based equipment so that the dog could be remotely monitored and controlled (click here to see that article). The idea was to create a Cybernetic Enhanced Working Dog. The required equipment is bulky and expensive, but could be very valuable when working with search and rescue dogs. The ultimate hope is that similar equipment, if it was miniaturized, might be made available to dog owners to help them keep track of their dogs, and perhaps to serve as a training aid. The response that I got to this article included a flood of information about wearable devices that were already available or soon to be released, and relatively low in cost. These devices were designed to allow dog owners to keep track of their dogs, monitor their activity, and even keep watch on their health status. Let me describe a few of the more interesting items.
The first is the PetPace wearable monitor which is undergoing testing at the Andover Animal Hospital in Massachusetts under the supervision of a veterinarian, Jasmin Kermaty. It has sensors that monitor a dog's vital signs around the clock, including temperature, pulse, respiration, pain, and even calorie intake. It also monitors the dog's activity, whether it is running, sitting, sleeping and so forth. All of these sensors are mounted in what looks like a simple dog collar. The dog owner and the veterinarian can check on the dog's activity with a smart phone app or via their home computer. It can also be used to keep a check on dogs that have chronic medical conditions. The monitor can be set up to trigger an alert which is sent directly to the veterinarian if there is a negative change in the dog's health status. While the initial cost of the collar is low ($150) its use requires a $15 monthly subscription to run the software.
Another soon to be released device is Voyce which again looks like a simple collar. From what I can gather it is somewhat similar to the PetPace device but does not contain as many types of monitoring sensors. It keeps track of the dog's location and wellness through parameters such as respiration, heart rate and activity level. These can be converted to an estimate of the number of calories burnt over the day and the quality of leisure your dog has had. Again the information is presented through a smart phone app, but this comes with an analysis that gives you a general picture of your dog's wellness as well as presenting tips to improve particular elements of your dog's well-being. No information is available on price and software subscription rate as yet.
There are some much simpler and less expensive devices including WhistleGPS ($130 plus a $5 monthly fee for the software) and Tagg ($99.95 plus $9.95 per month). Both are quite similar in their functionality. They are basically GPS devices which allow you to locate your dog using a smart phone app which superimposes the dog's location on a map. You can set up alerts which will trigger a text message to your phone or computer in case the dog goes "out of bounds" based on the geographical limits that you have set. In addition to monitoring location of the device has an accelerometer built into it which allows you to keep track of changes in your dog's activity to determine whether your dog is getting enough exercise.
I suppose we can add to these devices about a half a dozen different styles of PetCams, which are digital cameras that can hang off of the dog's collar and allow you to see what he does (from his point of view). This will allow you to observe your pet's ongoing or previous activities and location. Some of these PetCams have large storage capacity in the form of flash memory, and some can be set up to send the signals back to a computer or other device with Wi-Fi capacity.
Up to now we have only discussed devices which give incoming information from the dog to its handler. It certainly would be useful to be able to give commands remotely to the dog. The Swiss+Tech Talking Dog Collar appears to have been designed to do that. It consists of a small speaker which attaches to the dog's collar. You can pre-record up to four commands or short messages and later trigger any one of them using a push button remote control. Although these messages could be instructions to tell the dog where to go or simple commands such as to return to its handler. The advertising makes it clear that it was designed to be a toy rather than a serious communications device since they suggest that it might be used to carry messages like "Hi cutie!" or "I love you!" It also seems to be priced so that would be an affordable toy at $29.99. Its range is limited to 100 feet and users complain that local interference can reduce that distance. However it does seem to be an available prototype for what could be a useful piece of communication technology between a person and the dog if it were developed properly.
All of these devices differ from the Cybernetic Enhanced Working Dog unit in that they are "one way" meaning that the dog's owner can monitor some aspects of the dog's behavior but cannot directly communicate with the dog or can send messages to the dog without knowing what the dog's current circumstances are. The experimental cybernetic dog harness is a "two-way" device in that it contains a number of little motorized units that vibrate and can be used to convey commands to the dog to assist him in his search and rescue job, such as "go to the right", "go to the left" or "come back to me now." In addition the harness can be fitted out with a speaker that can broadcast a tone and perhaps in the future a human voice as another means of communicating with the dog. Of course such added functions inevitably involve additional weight and size. The existing experimental prototype already requires a large bulky harness rather than the light compact collar units that I described above.
In the set of emails that I received alerting me to various computer-controlled connections with dogs I found only one that offered two-way communication with the dog. However it is really not a wearable device and it is a purely communication device rather than something that provides continuous monitoring of your dog's activity and health status. This is the PetChatz which is really a sort of video phone that allows you to talk to and see your dog. It plugs into the wall and contains a small video screen which allows your dog to see you if you are broadcasting from any computer or smart phone that has a built-in camera. It also contains its own internal camera which records the dog when he is standing near the unit. There is a speaker and microphone built-in which allows you to have a two way "conversation" with your dog if you desire. You might ask why would a dog bother to wander over to such a device to allow this kind of interaction. The trick is that when you call into the PetChatz the apparatus sounds a tone. When the dog comes close to the device in response to that to the unit you can send a signal that delivers a treat to your dog. Presumably you can keep the "conversation" going by continuing to dispense treats. This particular phone chat does not come cheaply, since the selling price for this instrument is $349 (plus the cost of the treats of course).
I am sure that there are many more such devices available or being developed which are designed to let us monitor and perhaps communicate with our dogs no matter where they are. However when I discussed some of this technology with a friend of mine his immediate question was "We humans have laws to protect our privacy — aren't dogs entitled to have private lives as well?"
Stanley Coren is the author of many books including: The Wisdom of Dogs; Do Dogs Dream? Born to Bark; The Modern Dog; Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses? The Pawprints of History; How Dogs Think; How To Speak Dog; Why We Love the Dogs We Do; What Do Dogs Know? The Intelligence of Dogs; Why Does My Dog Act That Way? Understanding Dogs for Dummies; Sleep Thieves; The Left-hander Syndrome
Copyright SC Psychological Enterprises Ltd. May not be reprinted or reposted without permission