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| The US Army is testing augmented reality goggles for dogs |
The US Army is testing a new technology that could radically change the way military attack dogs are used in the future: augmented reality goggles for dogs.
Dogs have many uses in the modern army, from finding explosives and identifying targets to accompanying infantry while patrolling dangerous areas.
Trainers usually use gestures or laser pointers to give commands to their dogs. These methods require monitoring of the dog, which limits the distance the dog can leave to humans.
With augmented reality goggles, military dogs can operate remotely without losing control of the trainer.
AR glasses have a built-in camera that can transmit images in real time remotely and a screen that can display the dog's commands.
If the trainer is safe from injury, the dog may be asked to look for a specific location.
Augmented reality glasses are only prototypes at the moment, and Command Sight, a privately held Seattle-based company, is still in development.
The US Army Research Laboratory oversees this work. The prototype augmented reality goggles are wired, but future versions will be wireless.
According to a new report, the augmented reality glasses ordering system simulates what a dog might see by following instructions via a laser pointer.
"The principle that augmented reality works in dogs is different from that in humans," said Stephen Lee, the chief scientist at the US Army Research Laboratory. Augmented reality is used to give commands and signals to dogs. This new technology gives us a better tool to communicate better with military dogs.
The founder and CEO of Command Sight said: “This business is still in the early stages of development, but the outlook is very bright.
The augmented reality goggles themselves are suitable for military dogs with a fixed range. The glasses should be custom-designed for the wearer and use 3D scanning to ensure the exact location of the HUD is at the best viewing angle.
The ability to walk a dog through augmented reality goggles to see visual cues without keeping the body close has clear tactical advantages in a variety of situations.
The researchers said they plan to develop the technology within two years to create a fully wireless prototype which will then receive user reviews and product reviews for manufacturing.