We all feel like our pets are speaking to us, be it with their vocal range, their tone, eyes, sad ears, happy tails – you get the idea.
Studies have confirmed that people who speak to their pets are smarter than those who don’t (which everyone who owns a pet already knew).
Now, imagine if your pet could speak back to you. If those whimpers and meows could be transformed into words that we recognise and understand.
It may sound like a futuristic dream, but a new report backed and co-authored by retailer Amazon suggests the future might not be all so far away after all.
The report, written by consumer futurist William Higham from Next Big Thing, says that an entirely operational device capable of translating what our pets are telling us could be less than ten years away.
Speaking to the Guardian, William said, “Innovative products that succeed are based around a genuine and major consumer needs.”
“The amount of money now spent on pets – they are becoming fur babies to so many people – means there is huge consumer demand for this. Somebody is going to put this together.”
Are you happy? Sad? If only we had a translator!
The information for the technology used in the report is based on research from North Arizona University Professor, Con Slobodchikoff, whose 30-year long efforts studying prairie dogs uncovered that the sounds they make are clear and decipherable.
“So many people would dearly love to talk to their dog or cat or at least find out what they are trying to communicate,” Slobodchikoff told the Guardian.
“A lot of people talk to their dogs and share their innermost secrets. With cats I’m not sure what they’d have to say. A lot of times it might just be ‘you idiot, just feed me and leave me alone'”.
While Professor Slobodchikoff is clearly biased, the exciting news that this technology is so close boggles the mind.
Now, can someone start working on a teleporter to help us sleep in AND get to work on time?
Thanks.
