The US Army in collaboration with Command Sight, Inc. are developing augmented reality goggles for dogs. The idea is that the human handlers will be able to guide the dogs through visual indicators appearing on the goggles' screens. Meanwhile, the handler will be able to share the dog's POV through a camera. From the US Army:
"Augmented reality works differently for dogs than for humans," said Dr. Stephen Lee, an [Army Research Office] senior scientist. "AR will be used to provide dogs with commands and cues; it's not for the dog to interact with it like a human does. This new technology offers us a critical tool to better communicate with military working dogs."[…]
The basic science research behind this technology focuses on understanding canine vision and cognition as this tool is developed."We will be able to probe canine perception and behavior in a new way with this tool," Lee said.
Currently, military working dogs are commonly directed by hand signals, which require the handler to be within sight of the dog, or by laser pointers, which also required the handler to remain close to the dog and generates a light source, which could be a safety issue.
Audio communication, using a camera and a walkie talkie placed on the dog are also used to direct the canines and allows the handler to be further from the dog, but the verbal commands can lead to confusion for the dog, for example, a dog runs around a set of stairs rather than going up them.
images: Army.mil
