We all remember Dug the Dog, the adorably goofy pup from Pixar’s Up who was able to communicate his thoughts and feelings thanks to some nifty technology.
Well, now we’re one step closer to such technology being real, thanks to some students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The team explains in the above video how they built the interface, which reads the neural responses of Alma, an adorable golden retriever. They’re then translated and deliver a pre-recorded vocal response.
How accurate is the device? That’s debatable, to say the least. There’s a mountain of research and debate about how dogs “think” that’s yet to be settled. Still, it’s a neat — and extremely cute — experiment. Read more…
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