No More Woof wants to translate your dog's thoughts to English
Dogs have been man’s best friend since the beginning of time, but a new invention might soon change all that. We never quite knew what they were thinking—until now.
Dogs have been man's best friend since the beginning of time, but a new invention might soon change all that. We never quite knew what they were thinking—until now.
Coming out of Malmo, Sweden, No More Woof aims to translate your dog's thoughts via a headset that essentially reads your pooch's mind. Sensors in the gadget pick up EEG signals from the canine's brain, and software in the device attempt to translate those thoughts (however roughly) into English.
Swedish product development firm the Nordic Society for Invention and Discovery is behind the device, which uses a small Raspberry Pi computer to make the trademark translations. Similar inventions from the Society include a hovering lamp that shadows you from room to room, and an iPad-charging rocking chair. So this isn't even their weirdest invention.
But, as we know, the thought process of dogs is much different from humans, so saying it "translates your dog's thoughts" is somewhat disingenuous. While it's true that human thought comes from the same electrical signals No More Woof is measuring, our process is much more complicated, and often incongruous in terms of what it is we're trying to communicate.
The solution for No More Woof is a distillation of your dog's thoughts to a short, identifiable statement like "I am hungry," "who are you?" or ""I am tired." So, don't expect the little guy to reveal to you the answer to life, the Universe, and everything. Do, however, expect to descend into the rabbit hole of philosophical questions revolving around what exactly thought is.
No More Woof is currently being financed via IndieGoGo, and already surpassed its $10,000 goal in a matter of days. But, still, if you're sold, the devices run $600 and can distinguish four thought patterns.
It's not just English, though: Spanish, French, and Mandarin are coming to the device soon.
After that, a world dog government. The UN had better make some room.