Is There A Dog Collar That Has An App So Your Dog Can Talk

Remember the 2009 Pixar and Disney animated movie Up?

In that movie, there was a Golden Retriever called Dug that had on a crazy cool tech-laden dog collar that translated every one of his barks, growls, and whimpers into words that the main characters could understand.

I'm pretty sure that many dog owners (myself included) who watched Up back then all wished that there was a device that did the same thing in real life – something that could let us know what our dogs were trying to tell us when they barked or growled.

Well, as it turns out, there is.

A translator for your doggo.

A South Korean tech company called Petpuls claims that its creation – a technologically-advanced dog collar armed with artificial intelligence (A.I.) – is able to analyze the sounds made by dogs and translate them into signals that owners can understand.

The collar works by cross-referencing a dog's bark with a database of over 10,000 bark samples from over 50 breeds of dogs and uses the information to gauge how the wearer is feeling based on different emotional states – happy, anxious, angry, sad, or relaxed.

The A.I. technology embedded in the device works via an algorithm to determine the mood of the wearer, and the company claims that the device will only get more accurate as time passes.

Research-driven technology.

To ensure its accuracy, Petpuls worked together with a research-and-development (R&D) team at the Seoul National University during development of the device, and during testing, the collar received an Emotional Recognition Accuracy rating of over 80 percent.

"As the dog's 'voice' data is accumulated, Petpuls' A.I.-driven database grows even more accurate, helping you to better understand your dog's emotions, what triggers them, and manage its 10-15+ year lifespan," said Petpuls in a statement.

Those who purchase the collar for their dogs can connect to it via their smartphone's Bluetooth and view the relevant information through a dedicated app. The app will also relay other details such as the dog's daily activity, sleep, and diet information, very much like how a fitness tracker does for humans.

Plus, it also comes with other thoughtful features such as a social address book dedicated to a dog's "Pet Friends" and a registration page that will allow owners to create a unique profile page for their dogs if they so wished.

Other features include a battery life of eight to ten hours, a water-resistance rating of IP54 which will protect the device from light droplets or splashes.

The collar has already won recognition as a runner-up at the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show's innovation awards, and can be bought through the company's website at US$20 for the smaller-sized 16.3-inch collars and US$25 for the larger 30.5-inch collars.

Dog owners, is this device something you'd buy for your furkid?