The idea of dogs using a special ball to video call their owners may sound barking mad, but researchers at the University of Glasgow in Scotland recently went ahead and built such a device.
The so-called “DogPhone” comprises a small ball fitted with a sensor. When the dog moves the ball, the sensor initiates a video call via a nearby laptop. The owner can also call the dog, but the pet has to move the ball to answer.
Research leader Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas said she was prompted to create the DogPhone after realizing there were plenty of devices that let owners check on their home-alone pets, but none that let the animals initiate interaction with their master.
“I’ve been building devices for my dog and many other dogs for quite a while now,” Hirskyj-Douglas said in a video discussing the DogPhone. “I think a lot of these devices are really important to give dogs choices or options to do things for enrichment reasons.”
