Pet translator devices could let us talk to dogs within 10 years

A report backed by Amazon claims that pet translators could let humans talk to dogs within 10 years. Research shows prairie dogs have different words to describe colours and species of predators.

After analysing calls made by prairie dogs through AI software, a professor at the Northern Arizona University decided to raise money by developing a cat and dog translation device.

Con Slobodchikoff believes that this concept can be applied to household pets after he discovered there were different words to describe species and colours of predators.



“So many people would dearly love to talk to their dog or cat – or at least find out what they are trying to communicate. A lot of people talk to their dogs and share their innermost secrets,” he told The Guardian.

“With cats, I’m not sure what they’d have to say. A lot of times it might just be ‘you idiot, just feed me and leave me alone',” he added.

According to a report on Slobodchikoff’s work written by William Higham, we can have a fully operational device that translates what our pets say.



“Innovative products that succeed are based around genuine and major consumer needs. The amount of money now spent on pets – they are becoming fur babies to so many people – means there is huge consumer demand for this. Somebody is going to put this together,” Higham said.

Juliane Kaminski, a psychologist from Portsmouth University working on interactions between humans and dogs, is less optimistic about the likelihood of creating a translator.

“We would not describe dogs’ forms of communication as language in the scientific sense. They do give out rudimentary signals of what they want and how they’re feeling,” she said.

 

This article originally appeared on The Independent.