I found this article while perusing new technologies of the new year and I decided to write about this one because it peaked my interest. My first reaction was that this invention was NOT a good idea. I do not like it due to the sole fact that its primary use would be when an area is deemed dangerous to humans. In my opinion, their lives are just as meaningful as ours. I will say that I am a bit bias because my family used to breed and show mastiffs so I feel quite connected to their lives. I also do not like the fact that people are trying to "control" them. They are not wild animals that need to be tamed. They are our domestic pets that should be treated with love and respect. Also, what happened to the bonding between dog and trainer/owner? The whole experience of training helps bring the dog and the owner closer together AND it teaches the dog proper behavior.
In spite of my immediate distaste for the control device, this invention might serve its purpose well in situations that the dog is the only being to be able to move about freely and obtain items of importance that humans could not grab in the same situation (i.e. key to open a door, etc). However, the actual control on the dog looks like it might cause more a hindrance. It's bulky and it could get caught on things which would leave the dog incapable of following commands. All in all, from first impressions, I do not like this invention so I will wait in the wings to hear its benefits and uses in realistic settings.
Check it out! Remote Control That Guides Canines
I agree that it is not necessary for domestic animals, however, it looks like it would be a great device for military and police dogs. For domestic animals, it is important for pet owners and their dogs to have the training and bonding experiences. I will have to agree with you, but I would say the device could be useful for service dogs. Now that I think of it, the device would be great for the blindly disabled. They can use this device to guide them through every day.
ReplyDeleteI don't like sending dogs in to do our dirty work either. Especially when we can do the same thing with these http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_robots
ReplyDeleteI have a cute beagle/jack russell mix, and I wouldn't dream of putting anything like this on her. Cool post!
It does seem kind of freaky that we're trying to control animals with computers. I don't know that it's necessarily going anywhere bad right now, but it just seems like it has the potential to.
ReplyDeleteI can see how this could be good for service dogs, and originally that's what I thought the article was going to be about, but after reading it, I'm a little disappointed that what they mostly talk about is military. I don't want to be sending animals into dangerous situations, especially if the animal is only doing it because some computer told it to.