Your Pet Dogs Can Now Call You With 'DogPhone' Technology

While humans may have replaced their need for companionship with content-heavy smartphone screens, our pets do not have that luxury. Or they didn't... until now!

You no longer would have to read your dog's mind, all thanks to a device called the "DogPhone."

The DogPhone is a soft ball that transmits signals to a laptop to initiate a video call when moved.?The dog's parent can choose to take the call, or to hang up. Additionally, pet parents can also call their doggos, who would have to simply move the ball to pick up the call.

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Equipping dogs with tech

In conversation with The Guardian, DogPhone's creator Dr. Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas from the University of Glasgow said that this shows how "dogs can control technology," while adding that humans can very well build technology for dogs and other pets.

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Also read:?Dogs Can Tell If Humans Act Intentionally Or By Mistake, Finds Study

According to Hirskyj-Douglas, giving a sense of control has benefits to the well-being of pet dogs.?Published in the Proceedings of the Association for Computing Machinery on Computer-Human interaction, the study highlights how the product was developed.

The creators wanted to equip with the right amount of sensitivity, for which they tested it for over 16 days. The ball was tested by Hirskyj-Douglas on her nine-year-old labrador, Zack.

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Also read:?Useful Or Dehumanising? US Police Use Robot Dogs To Test Homeless For COVID-19

While the researchers are still figuring out how to differentiate accidental calls from intended calls, their focus remains on giving "dogs a choice."

What do you think - should our pets be trained to communicate with us through technology? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.?For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.??

Citation

Davis, N. (2021b, November 17). Can I give you a call bark? DogPhone lets pets ring their owners. The Guardian.?

Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas,?Roosa Piitulainen,?Andrés Lucero (2021)?Forming the Dog Internet: Prototyping a Dog-to-Human Video Call Device