If you have seen the movie “Up”, you would know that it features a dog named Dug who could speak because of some technology in his collar. Now, students of the University of Illinois attempted to make that technology become real. They tested it on Alma, their dog.
Jessica Austriaco is one of the members of the team who tried to develop a piece of technology that would allow humans to hear what their dogs are thinking. Alma, the students’ golden retriever, became the team’s test subject.
In the video, Alma has a device that is wrapped around her. The device tells people just what Alma is thinking. So far, it tells us that Alma is happy and that she is also excited. Alma’s mouth is not moving in any way, but from how it looks, that is just what Alma is thinking and feeling.
The device that the university students have developed has yet to be refined. It allows dogs to say what they want, but there are no direct translations to English yet. However, it has been successful in helping people have a clue about what a dog is trying to say. The device does this by using the electrical activity in a dog’s brain.
The team worked hard to make and design the device. The team used an EEG so that they could map out any responses that have happened in Alma’s brain. They made notes of the responses using a variety of stimuli.
The team also recorded some voice responses. Sensors were then attached to the dog. When Alma sees something that scares her, there will be a voice response that would translate just what Alma may be feeling at that moment.
This is definitely a cool device. There are still developments to be made, but the whole idea surely does show great possibilities.
Source: Bliss Chapman
