Hardware News

Gadget translates woofs into words

Irene Tham, CNET Asia CNet

Published: 10 May 2002 14:30 BST

If Dr Dolittle can't make animals talk, perhaps Japanese toy maker Takara can.

The company unveiled a new gadget on Thursday, called Bowlingual, which can scrutinise and translate a dog's bark into expressions, such as "I've had enough" or "I'm a little bored, let's play."

The gizmo was tested on a dog at the Tokyo Toy Show, an annual event featuring electronic games, collectibles and dolls from all over the world. The four-day event ends on Sunday.

Bowlingual consists of a wireless microphone, to be attached to the collar, and a terminal which analyses and matches each "woof" with a set of pre-programmed phrases.

The device detects feelings -- including happiness, frustration and sadness--and display the associated expressions on the terminal's screen, Takara said in a statement.

It can also be used to record emotional data from the dog throughout the day -- this is for busy owners who want to know how their canine friends spend their time alone at home.

A prototype was first unveiled last August to help dog owners better comprehend their pets. It carries a recommended retail price of 12,800 yen (£68) but the company could not confirm commercial availability.

It is not known if Takara is adapting the device for cat owners.

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