It is always fun to talk to dogs. We sometimes wonder what truly is our four-legged friend thinking. Wouldn’t it be cool if they could communicate their thoughts to us? It would help us have a great chit-chat for hours. This is no distant reality as scientists bring in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to create a new technology that will work as an animal translator. Animal behaviour expert Dr Con Slobodchikoff who is a professor at the Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University is working on a similar instrument.

Dr Slobodchikoff has been studying the behaviour of prairie dogs for the last 30 years. With the help of a computer scientist colleague, he developed an algorithm that turns the dogs’ vocalizations into the English language. To develop more knowledge about the technology that could help humans communicate with animals, last year they also started a company known as Zoolingua. They are learning about types of barks, facial expressions and body movements.

The work is in its early stage. They are viewing thousands of videos of dogs showing various barks and body movements. Slobodchikoff aims to incorporate the growing scientific research that uses careful experiments than guesswork to translate the true meanings of dog’s behaviour. His ultimate goal is to create a device that can be pointed at a dog to translate its woofs into English. Solobodchikoff said that his studies are in the early ages and will possibly be available within ten years.

The thought of being able to understand a dog’s bark is extremely exciting. Being able to communicate with animals would mean more than just closer emotional ties with them. It could eliminate the guesswork in caring for animals and save their life in case of unforeseen dangers.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 17, 2018 07:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).