Woof: Bow Wow Wow

[Max Power]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/12/25/eveningnews/main534293.shtml

With a new device, called the "Bowlingual," you'll know for sure; its software listens and tells owners like Tomoko Hiyoshi what's up.

Tomoko says it's teaching her things about her dogs she didn't know – like when Amber and Ruby went crazy over a ringing doorbell, it was Tomoko who was barking up the wrong tree.

"I thought they were warning whoever was outside. But the machine says they were actually happy having someone over," Tomoko says.

The Bowlingual is a big hit in Japan, and an English- language version is on its way to American store shelves next year.

http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/ptech/09/09/offbeat.bowlingual/

A high-tech dog collar called 'Bowlingual' is being promoted to pet owners in east Asia as a device that translates barks into human words.


http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/dogdevice010808.html

Takara Co.'s handheld device, which is smaller than a credit card, deciphers growls and yelps into six feelings — frustration, alarm, self-expression, happiness, sadness and desire. Depending on the type of bark, words pop up on the device display, such as "I can't stand it," or "How boring."

Anyone think this could work?

[Duque]

I can think of a few humans this might come in handy for.

[satchel]

Here's a short piece about a human analogue:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/15/magazine/15CRYI.html

I would think that if one merely paid attention to one's dog or one's child, however, one could learn to interpret their nonverbal communication without the aid of a gadget.

[Craig S.]

Originally posted by satchel
I would think that if one merely paid attention to one's dog or one's child, however, one could learn to interpret their nonverbal communication without the aid of a gadget.

Exactly my thoughts.

[Skip]

Agreed satchel and Craig S. ... and it works for me ... but do either of you have kids?

[satchel]

No, I don't have kids. I have a cat, and I can generally understand him just fine when he is attempting to communicate with me. Sometimes I can tell he is in distress, but I cannot tell why, and that is very sad and frustrating. I imagine that with a child, that would be magnified - when your child is suffering, the only thing you want is to make it better.

However, I can't imagine that a gadget that interprets a child's cry would tell me more about the cause of my child's suffering than my own observations would.

[Skip]

Tweak.

[Max Power]

Communication. It's overrated.

:stinker: