US Army tests augmented reality glasses for dogs

The US military has developed a proof-of-concept of augmented reality goggles for dogs. An attendant can use the glasses to guide a dog to a specific place and see what the dog sees. Whether rottweiler Mater is happy with his AR gadget is hard to say. The technique will eventually help soldiers deploy dogs, thinks the American Army Research Laboratory. According to Stephen Lee of the research project, the glasses can be used to give commands and directions to dogs to better communicate with the four-legged friends, as a visual reference on the lens, which the dogs should follow. For example, they could be led to explosives. The technology was developed by the Command Sight company. Currently, the goggles are still wired, which limits the deployment, but technicians are working to make them wireless. Until now, soldiers lead dogs with hand gestures, laser pointers and voice commands. They use cameras on the back of the dog, which leads to jerky images. Those ways limit the distance and often lead to misinterpretation by the dog. During missions with explosives or harmful substances, this can endanger soldiers. Thanks to the camera in the AR glasses, attendants can at least get better vision, just like the dog has. In addition, the Army Research Laboratory is investigating the influence of the visual indicators on the perception and behavior of the dogs, in order to make better use of the animals. By the way, military dogs are often used to wearing glasses. The AR glasses are based on the so-called Rex Specs, which dogs wear to protect them in certain circumstances.