Bark 3: “Bowlingual” gadget translates barks
So, if there’s no deep meaning behind barks (not that we buy that study), how do you explain this?
Japanese toymaker Takara Tomy is coming out with a new “Bowlingual” gadget that can translate dog barks into the human language, AFP reports.
The new model analyzes six emotions, including joy, sadness and frustration, and speaks phrases such as “Play with me!” — an improvement on the original which just showed them on a screen.
The original version of the toy, which has a handset and a microphone attached to a dog collar, won the Ig Nobel Prize in 2002. The awards, a parody of the Nobel Prizes, celebrate achievements that make people laugh and think.
The new Bowlingual Voice, priced at about $212, will be launched in Japan next month, Yamada said.
Initially, it will be only available in Japanese. The original non-speaking version is also available in English and Korean.
Posted by jwoestendiek July 23rd, 2009 under Muttsblog.
Tags: bark, barking, barks, bowlingual, dog, dogs, gadget, human, language, meaning, noise, sounds, studies, takara tomy, toy, translate, translating, words
