What are dogs thinking?
Big data and artificial intelligence might soon have the answer.
"This AI-powered collar connects through WiFi to a mobile app and once the dog barks, it transmits a signal to the owner's phone to show what emotion their pet is feeling."
Developed by a South Korean startup, the Petpuls dog collar uses an algorithm based on more than 10-thousand bark samples from 50 breeds of dog.
"Based on that, we finally analyze, actually detect the voice and then separate it and analyze it and then eventually come up with five very basic emotional status: happiness, sadness, anxiety, anger and also being relaxed."
Another startup plans to launch in March a mobile pet health care app.
Called AlphaDo Pet, the smartphone app monitors an animal's health by analyzing photos taken with a micro-camera attached to a thin rod.
By comparing these photos with image data from across the globe, it can detect health problems from cataracts to gingivitis and even break down what's in a pet's urine.
"By the time owners go to the vet, it's often too late We hope our technology can open the doors to remote pet healthcare, especially amid this pandemic where non-contact is the norm."
With pet ownership rising around the world, the global pet care market is expected to grow from 225 billion U.S. dollars in 2019 to almost 360 billion in 2027.
So for smart pet technology, this is just the beginning.
Han Seong-woo, Arirang News.