Want to know how your dog feels? A company has decided to take advantage of the internet of things to let us understand dogs better. No longer will you wonder what your dog might be thinking as this new device can translate the language your dog is speaking - through tail wags.
DogStar, A New York based company has created the Fitbit for dogs also known as Tailtalk.
According to the company, tail wagging is asymmetric and it includes a complex emotion of signals that our naked eye won't be able to catch. This tool aims to help you recognize these signals and understand your dog better.
The professors from College of Veterinary Medicine in Cornell University further elaborated this research and concluded that the direction a dog wags its tail is directly related to its mood.
For example, if the dog wags its tail to the left it means that it is expressing negative emotions like aggression, fear, and anxiety. Wagging its tail to the right, on the other hand, show positive feelings like happiness, satisfaction, and excitement.
With this, DogStar has created a device with a 3-axis accelerometer and gyroscope that you wrap to the tail of your pet. This helps record your dog's emotions in real-time. And to take things further, the team created an app that links to the device.
The device translates the position of the tail and how it is wagging. The device then sends the signal to your smartphone, so you can easily identify how your dog is feeling. Graphs give you a quick overview of the dog's emotions. The video below will further explain this device:
DogStar TailTalk is currently being funded at IndieGogo with a funding goal of $100,000. To date, the company was able to garner around $40,000 and they have 21 days left to reach that goal.