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While away from home, dog owners can use technology to talk to their pets, track their every move, shoot bullets into the air and even spy on them while they sleep.
The dogs themselves can do no more than stare longingly out the window. Maybe that’s why the “DogPhone” possibility for short bewitched NS media world. Who wouldn’t want to receive this call?
But new research Led by Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, an assistant professor at the University of Glasgow, what inspired these stories was mostly inspiring.
The study included only one dog. The device is neither a real phone nor anything close to the market. And the results were meager at best.
Specializing in animal-computer interaction, Dr. Using a cannon equipped with a motion-detection device that triggers a video call, Hirskyj-Douglas gave Zack the 10-year-old Labrador dog the power to search for him by simply moving his hand. toy.
Dr. “I thought something like this might somehow help dogs have more control and choice,” Hirskyj-Douglas said in an interview. “We make so many decisions about their lives that maybe making that choice alone is exciting in itself.”
Research, Published in the magazine last month ACM’s studies of Human-Computer Interaction took place over 16 days with changes in the sensitivity of the device. The researchers said that Zack was supposedly not trained to use the DogPhone.
During the experiment, Zack, Dr. He called Hirskyj-Douglas about five times a day, more than 50 times in total. Almost all of the searches appear to have been made by accident, the research said.
The recording of a 30-second call reads, “The dog was playing with the pig and accidentally poked the ball.”
The next post, which lasted 16 seconds, “The dog accidentally called (climbing on the couch) and then fell asleep”.
And in dozens of searches, the dog was asleep when he poked the motion censor into action. “The dog that sleeps hugging the ball.”
A leading animal behaviorist, Dr. Patricia McConnell was skeptical about the study. Dr. “A sample of one person and one dog wouldn’t make a study,” McConnell said, “and I wish more effort had been made for the dog to use the device rather than hoping it would figure it out.”
But he said the authors “are commended for their interest in finding ways to give dogs more agency in their lives, especially when left alone at home.”
The study raises interesting issues, he said. “Do our dogs want to hear from us when we’re away from home? Or will they say, ‘Don’t call me, I’ll call you’?”
In the article, Dr. Hirskyj-Douglas and colleagues have recognized the limits of a dog in understanding what it means or doesn’t want to do. “It is possible that we humans do not know what an animal’s intentions are or how it will deliberately interact with computer systems,” they wrote.
Interactions with Zack in the final days of the study were longer and, regardless of his intentions, Zack called more often.
Dr. During their video call, Hirskyj-Douglas told Zack about his day and talked about his upcoming dog park visits. He said he was particularly busy as he turned his camera around to show the city he was passing through, walking past buskers and commuting underground.
It wasn’t always this busy. Dr. About a call, Hirskyj-Douglas wrote: “The dog called me but was not interested in our call, instead he was checking things in his bed.” “He was busy elsewhere.”
He realized that Zack hadn’t picked up when he called.
Dr. Hirskyj-Douglas said his research didn’t reveal what Zack wanted to do, but showed that dogs could use an interactive digital device like his, when presented with options.
“They don’t always have to be these passive users of the technology we build, and yet all emerging technologies are mostly passive use,” he said, adding that his research “shows that the future of canine technology could very well be.” different from what it is now.”
The pet surveillance business is booming. As products with cameras, speakers and GPS devices proliferate, more and more pet owners are turning to devices that allow them to be with their pets even when they are not physically in the room.
Last year, pet tech market value exceeded $5.5 billion according to one study. industry report By research firm Global Market Insights, which predicts the market will grow to over $20 billion by 2027. Among the best selling products leashes and toys equipped with GPS trackers.
Dr. Technology not developed for sale, such as his device, said Hirskyj-Douglas could help soothe isolation and separation anxiety in pets. many pet owners noted during the coronavirus pandemic.
Experts said it was unclear to what extent canine tech products could help.
A professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dr. McConnell and a behavioral veterinarian who was not involved in the study, Dr. Andrea Y. Tu said there is very little research on technology for dogs.
Current products on the market, such as video cameras, may be great for some pets, but may be more of a concern in others, they said. They also pointed to inconclusive research on whether dogs can do this. fully recognize human faces on the screens.
Dr. “Dogs are so changeable, they’re just like us,” McConnell said. He said he was impressed to see more research into the agency and autonomy of pets and how they can change human relationships with dogs.
Dedicating the study to his dog, Dr. Hirskyj-Douglas said he hopes the use of networked devices will be introduced to expand the world of pets and give them a greater sense of freedom.
“I’m a crazy dog woman who wants to see more dog-controlled technology,” she said.
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