From: rpattree2@gmail.com   
      
   Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? Talking Dogs Aren't Just in Cartoons Anymore	   
   By LIZ FIELDS (@lianzifields)	 Feb 26, 2014, 10:42 AM   
   What if your dog could greet you with more than a growl, or announce the   
   reason he's scratching at the door?   
      
       
   Device Aims to Translate Dog Thoughts Into Words   
   Courtesy The Nordic Society for Invention and Discovery   
   It sounds absurd and much like the storyline from the Pixar film, "Up," but   
   Scandinavian scientists are working to develop a headset that could soon allow   
   your furry best friend to speak his mind.   
      
   The Nordic Society for Invention and Discovery is the brains behind "No More   
   Woof" -- technology that aims to distinguish canine thought patterns and then   
   issue them as short sentences via a microphone.   
      
   "The brainwaves differ quite a lot from different races as well as individual   
   dogs," NSID writes on their website. "However it is possible to detect some   
   common patterns and we have no doubt that in the future this technology will   
   open up a vast new era    
   of communication between dogs and humans, or animals in general and humans."   
      
   The research team, who previously brought the world such inventions as the pet   
   flying carpet, weren't immediately available for comment on Wednesday, but   
   explained the most recent project on their website.   
      
   "No More Woof is the result of combining the latest technologies in three   
   different tech-areas - EEG (electroencephalography) sensoring, micro computing   
   and special [brain-computer interface] software," the researchers wrote.   
      
   The operating system relies on sensors in the headset which detect electric   
   signals in the dog's brainwaves. Technology from an in-built processing device   
   then analyses the signal patterns and deciphers them into distinct feelings   
   like anger, curiosity    
   or tiredness.   
      
   Sample sentences such as "I'm hungry - but I don't like this!" or "I'm curious   
   who that is?" will be programmed into the device and emitted through a   
   loudspeaker.   
      
   English translations will be available, but Putonghua, French and Spanish   
   language headsets will come later, the researchers say.   
      
   How exactly scientists will attach the sensors into a dog's brain has yet to   
   be ironed out. Issues like this, as well as the ethical and social concerns,   
   are the reason why there's a whole lot more research to be done before the   
   technology becomes    
   available.   
      
   The headsets are, however, available for pre-purchase on indiegogo as part of   
   the research funding campaign, with three different versions that range in   
   functionality and price, from $65 for the micro to $300 for the standard   
   version or $1,200 for the    
   Superior customizable mini-speaker, replete with engraved dog tag.   
      
   You might have to wait a while for the first prototype to arrive in the mail,   
   but the implications are enormous, the researchers say.   
      
   And as friendship is a two-way street, it's only fitting that the scientists   
   are also aiming to develop a reverse headset for humans to bark their way into   
   the hearts of their canine buddies.   
      
   Other applications and accessories the researchers have in their far-sighted   
   future include a "Pavlovian training kit," with original instructions by the   
   physiologist Ivan Pavlov, to further the owner-pet bond through the use of   
   play and classical    
   conditioning.   
      
   "Right now we are only scraping the surface of possibilities," the researchers   
   write. "The first version will be quite rudimentary. But hey, the first   
   computer was pretty crappy too."   
      
   http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=22680323   
      
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