Melody Jackson , associate professor and director of Georgia Institute of Technology’sanimal - computer interaction laboratory , narrate the account of her grandmother Eleanor falling in her kitchen . Eleanor could not vacate herself up , and her watchword for help snuff it unheard . She could n’t reach the phone to call 911 . She had to wait until her neighbour got home from work to receive any help .
Melody ’s crime syndicate mystify Eleanor an alert necklace , but she hat wearing it . So , it ’s potency was confutative . Her grandmother had a domestic dog , and Melody said had this incident occurred today , that click may have been able to get help for Eleanor .
That ’s thanks to fresh maturation in engineering which allow dogs to be train to call 911 during emergencies . Jackson and her team at Georgia Tech are educate and testing unexampled products which admit canines to intercommunicate to humans during emergency , such as high - technical school vests and doggy touchscreens that function as telephones .
Photo: Georgia Institute of Technology
Their current success is the touchscreen gimmick . Dogs can put their olfactory organ to this screen and use it to call or text . Dogs can easy be train to follow their owner ’ verbal cues ( such “ get help!”)et and tap 9 - 1 - 1 on this screen .
Jackson is the laminitis of theFIDO projectat Georgia Tech . The FIDO labor is an ongoing project which looks at developing better way for working dogs to interact with the humans they serve .
Jackson cogitate this fresh touchscreen gadget could transfer and save lives .
Melody Jackson with her dog communication devices. Photo: Rob Felt /GATech
Using Technology to Give Dogs Speech
Jackson , who also discipline weenie , realized a few old age ago that service and working dog need better ways to communicate crucial data to humans . A military dog demand to communicate what form of bomb it has just detected , while a medical alert dog needs to summon help for their owner having a seizure or enroll a diabetic coma .
There was no honest way for the dogs to do this , so Jackson and her squad went to put to work on developing technologies to advance the mind .
Jackson and her colleagues prepare several dog to go to a TV - size touchscreen and push 9 - 1 - 1 when they get a line the command “ help . ”
Photo:CNN
The computer can be programme to call anyone when the button are pushed , not just 911 .
Because dogs have specific people of colour sightlessness , the buttons on the CRT screen are blue and yellow . They are also separated so that the dog does n’t make any inadvertent calls by fight the incorrect clitoris or hitting something doubly .
In addition to this touchscreen machine , investigator have also developed undershirt for domestic dog to wear which also call for help and perform other essential function .
The vest have chewing toys or plait ropes attached to them , which the dog bites on command to activate a computer settle inside the vest to make phone call , send texts , or even disperse audio messages . The audio message could alert passer-by - by that the dog has just called for help or that the dog ’s manager requires additional assistance .
Currently , some seizure alert dogs are educate to assist their owners during an sequence by pushing them up against a bulwark to endure their fall , and lick their face during the seizure .
In addition to all of that , Jackson would care to see the dogs tower the detector in the vest to call 911 ( with their GPS emplacement ) , and touch off a loudspeaker system which says , “ exempt me , my handler is having a seizure ; please detain back . ”
Jackson ’s whole goal is to be capable to get dogs and humanscommunicatingmore clearly . If a dog runs up to a unknown and there is a speaker that says , “ Excuse me , my coach needs your attending ; can you please follow me , ” there is no way for confusion .
Inspiration for New Technology
Jackson tell the tale of one of her former graduate students , Vincent Martin , who was unsighted . Martin had a guide dog named Karson to help oneself him pilot .
One day , Karson contain . Martin used his cane to feel around for obstacle or obstructions , but did n’t finger anything . Assuming the dog was false or being stubborn , Martin afford Karson a correction jerk to tell the dog to keep going . They tread in wet cementum .
The frump had no way to tell his possessor that there actuallywassomething in the route . If he had been able-bodied to do so , Martin would have known the dog ’s halt was not a mistake or speculative doings .
Jackson and her team hope to shortly see their products commercially available for hotdog around the world to use . Current epitome are still in growth , and have some limitations .
Jackson says the issues they are currently working on are wee-wee the products more racy , acquire longer lasting batteries , and preventing false - positive ( accidental activations ) .
contain out this telecasting of the 9 - 1 - 1 touch screen in action !
