We’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that they’re developing a way to keep Fido in line remotely. The bad news is that it’s a military system.
It’s essentially a doggie backpack with three components: two vibrating panels on either side and a GPS receiver with a radio modem. Currently testing at Auburn University, the idea is you pair a well-trained dog with the backpack, and guide them to a point without needing a human right next to them the whole way.
The idea is to have better control over the doggies, who are way better at most tasks than robots. The idea is to add elements over time like a camera for surveillance and headphones to offer more specific commands than just “left” and “right”. Still, we think it should be just robots in the battle zone; they’re less cuddly.
[ via the dog whisperers at DVice ]