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'Messenger Dog' Vest Aids Disaster Victims with Video and Geotagging

by Caleb Johnson on April 15, 2010 at 05:25 PM

rescue dog
Laura Boffi, a design student in Copenhagen, and her team have created a special jacket that allows rescue dogs to relay messages from survivors while tagging their location. According to DVICE and the video after the jump, the jacket plays music while the dog searches for a victim in the wake of an earthquake or other disaster. An accelerometer detects when the dog sits, and then, the victim can enter text on a soft keypad and record a video message. The jacket also tags the survivor's location and saves it, so when the pup returns to base camp, rescue crews can go straight to the survivor.

Many search-and-rescue missions are moving toward using robotic rescuers, whether it's by land or by sea. That's fine by us. Depending on the conditions surrounding a disaster, a bot is generally a better option than Fido. But it's also nice to see that the old dogs can still learn new tricks -- and while it's not a St. Bernard bearing an alcoholic beverage, this'll do just fine. [From: Vimeo/Laura Boffi, via: DVICE]

Tags: accelerometer, animals, canine, concept, disaster, dog, dogs, messaging, rescue, research, SearchAndRescue, students, top

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