Posted by harrisj
Fri, 15 Apr 2005 21:42:05 GMT
It seems like only yesterday I was mocking the SNIF technology for tracking dog social networks (ie, for selling a new expensive electronic device to dog owners with too much disposable income). But reading that, you might've been thinking, what if I own a chicken as a pet? What device can help me? Well, fret no more, because the Mixed Reality lab in Singapore has a solution for you (I hope this is a hoax, but it seems not): Poultry Internet! This system consists of a remote monitoring device with tactile sensors that allows the user to track a chicken's movements at home from the office and freak out remotely pet the chicken by petting the robot proxy. Be sure also to check out the video to see the system in action, hear the cool background music, and come away inspired by the mission statement:
Poultry Internet provides a new cybernetic direction and experience for both we humans and our poultry friends.
It's a beautiful world.
Posted in Hardware, Pointless | no comments
Posted by harrisj
Tue, 12 Apr 2005 05:44:00 GMT
She tends to paw at me when I dare to work on the laptop instead of scratching her. So, I don't think she'd be into
SNIF, a new project for tracking canine interactions with expensive collars out of the MIT Media Lab (where else?). Yes, this is a fine example of using fancy technology and expensive gadgets to tackle simple problems that aren't begging for solutions. Is it necessary or important? No. But in a city where boutiques sell dog eyeglasses, designer knockoffs, and other expensive dog-oriented options, I suppose it still might sell. From the
Wired News article on SNIF, there are some funny excerpts:
The Social Networking in Fur, or SNIF, project is a wearable computer system for dogs that allows their owners to monitor the animals' behavior and capture their social networks.
Paging Dogster, there's some venture capital heading your way! The dog-com boom has started! At least now, I can devote more energy to tracking Bella's social interactions.
When in the docking station, the leash becomes a display device, alerting users to the status of their pet's social network. If a dog's buddy goes out for a walk, the leash will play the buddy's unique collar tone. "Just as in IM clients, the SNIF hardware makes it easy to know when your dog's pals have gone out for a walk," said Jonathan Gips, one of the SNIF team members. "Instead of being online, your friends are marked as 'outside.'"
I can't really add anything to this. I use this thing called memory to remember which dogs my dog likes, but I'm old-fashioned that way. Of course, I also haven't realized the advantages an advanced electrical device can bring to my bland and depressing existence!
"Psychologically, the pressure to interact socially is lessened by the activity of walking a dog," says Noah Fields, another team member. "Ideally, we want SNIF to function in much the same way. We believe that SNIF will allow dog owners who live hectic lives to use technology to maintain a sense of community."
Yes, if only they could invent communities around dogs playing. Living in Manhattan, I remember going to the dog run, where I could hang out with other dog owners watching out dogs play and thinking to myself, "sure, this may be a community, but if only there were an expensive high-tech way of emulating this system, preferably one that keeps out the poor and unfashionable? When can we reach that golden tomorrow?"
Posted in Pointless | Tags medialab, mit | 2 comments
