- Title: Understanding your pet's emotions with wearable tech
- Date: 23rd January 2017
- Summary: VARIOUS OF CAT SAT WEARING ANICALL COLLAR (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 37 YEAR-OLD VISITOR, SAKIKO KATO, SAYING: "I think this device will be helpful for those who have pets or work with animals." (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 31 YEAR-OLD VETERINARIAN, ATSUSHI OGAWA, SAYING: "As such technology develops, humans will become more capable of communicating with animals just as they interact with human beings." VARIOUS OF DOGS AROUND ANICALL STALL ENTRANCE T0 2017 WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY EXHIBIT SIGN READING (Japanese and English) " 3RD WEARABLE EXPO"
- Embargoed: 6th February 2017 11:15
- Keywords: cats dogs Wearables Expo Tokyo collar jacket
- Location: KOTO, TOKYO, JAPAN
- City: KOTO, TOKYO, JAPAN
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Science
- Reuters ID: LVA00360AX7X7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: About 200 companies gathered at Japan's Wearable Expo on Wednesday (Jan 18), showing off the latest devices to help both humans and animals stay healthy.
Japanese company Anicall, Animal communications, attracted visitors with its new range of accessories, such as jackets and collars, which measure the animal's temperature and activity in an effort to judge their current emotional state.
Akira Hanawa, CEO of Anicall Co. said the company aims to bring humans and animals closer together by making it possible for people to understand the emotions of their pets.
"Knowing the emotions of dogs is quite important. We invented this jacket to help those who train specific dogs such as assistant dogs and detector dogs understand how dogs are reacting and feeling," he said.
The jackets were launched at last year's Expo, but this year's version is equipped with sensors that detect the speed, motion, bodily movements and temperature of pets, with data transmitted to a Smartphone app.
Company employees believe such monitoring will make it possible for pets to receive timely and appropriate treatment for underlying health conditions.
"By monitoring the heart rate of a dog, we can understand the details of its health condition. Our device can track the heart rate of dogs and cats, which helps people better maintain the health of old dogs and cats," Hanawa said.
The jackets will retail for 30,000 yen ($264 USD), while collars produced by the company will go on sale for 10,000 yen ($88 USD). They will feature graphic displays showing four possible interpretations of data - excited/happy, relaxed, playful, and annoyed. As the results are clearly visible the company says it should be simple for pet owners to immediately understand the mental condition of their pet.
Visitors are indeed interested in the latest technology.
"I think this device will be helpful for those who have pets or work with animals," said Sakiko Kato, 37-year-old visitor.
Atsushi Ogawa, a 31-year-old veterinarian visiting the company's booth said the technology is not only valuable to pet owners wanting to better understand their furry companions, but could help dairy farmers or trainers of race horses ensure their animals are stress free.
"As such technology develops, humans will become more capable of communicating with animals just as they interact with human beings," Ogawa said.
All the technology on display from Anicall were prototypes, as there are still refinements to be made, but the collar should go on sale in late May. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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