Israeli technology helps you understand ‘man’s best friend’ a little better
How do you know what dogs really mean when they bark? An Israeli company has developed technology that can tell if a dog is barking because it senses danger - and helps it pass the message on to its masters
You might rely on a dog to warn you if a predator or criminal is trying to break into your home or business, but a dog’s bark is effective only if you, or someone who knows what its barking about, is around to hear it. For farmers who use dogs to protect herds, watchdogs are essential – but unless they get the message, their dogs’ warning won’t prevent theft or damage of their herds. And as effective as dogs are at guarding, they tend to bark for many reasons – not just when they detect intruders. How do you distinguish between the barks that you need to pay attention to and the ones you can safely ignore?
By using technology developed by Israel’s Bio-Sense, which has for years been developing ways to understand what dogs mean when they bark, and communicating those messages to the people who are supposed to prevent the damage the dog has detected.
While most of us can’t tell one bark from another, scientists working with Bio-Sense have done extensive work figuring out what sets off a specific type of dog bark. For example, according to the company, studies have shown that the acoustic qualities of barks vary with the context of events the dog is sensing or witnessing. For example, barks are lower in pitch and longer in duration in when the dog is distressed or threatened. Barks with other pitches, lengths, volumes, or qualities may mean something more – or less – serious.
Bio-Sense has developed special bark-detection equipment that hears the bark, analyzes it, and transmits the information to a server. If there is a problem, owners or patrols responsible for security are alerted immediately, enabling them to reach the scene in time to prevent further damage – with the messages delivered by text message or a cell phone call! The detection equipment can be mounted on a nearby pole, or even included in a special collar that the dog wears.
Bio-Sense will be presenting a new generation of bark-detection systems with updated communication capabilities at the upcoming Agro-Mashov show, where the latest in technology to help farmers, cattle owners, and agricultural concerns will be on display. Eyal Zahavi, chairman of Bio-Sense, said that “the new generation of technology will provided far greater protection to agricultural workers, enabling them to detect intrusions of predators or criminals remotely. The ability to distinguish between barks is built in to the technology and does not require training the dog to bark in a certain way in response to a situation, as other systems require.
To validate its technology, Zahavi added, Bio-Sense has performed numerous field tests in close cooperation and under the supervision of various branches of the Israeli Ministry of Homeland Security and the Israel Defense Forces. These tests, as well as Bio-Sense’s on-going experience with hundreds of sites where the technology is deployed, prove that the product’s detection algorithm is extremely accurate, with a very low rate of false alarms and alarm failure, Zahavi said, adding that Bio-Sense’s detection algorithm is the subject of numerous awarded patents.