Man and his best friend linked by a communications vest
It used to be that technologists would throw up their hands and admit that virtually nothing can beat the sensitivity and accuracy of an explosive-sniffing dog’s nose.
Forget that idea. The techies at the Transportation Security Administration’s laboratory in New Jersey are now trying to improve upon a canine’s sniffing expertise by strapping a vest laden with all sorts of sensors, video cameras and communications devices onto the pooch.
So equipped, the dog might be sent after a bomb explosion into a multilevel subway system that would be too dangerous for human beings.
"The vest assembly has been adapted for canine use, and the integrated components currently include a radio, a tone generator, an amplified speaker, a digital transmitter, a video camera, a wiring harness, a battery pack, and a power adapter," said the science and technology directorate of the Department of Homeland Security in its recently-released S&T Snapshots newsletter.
All this gear enables the handler to direct the dog from a safe distance while monitoring a variety of inputs sent back via the vest’s sensors.
The Canine Mass Transit Remote Sensor System project benefits from the assistance of the TSA lab, the S&T directorate, Auburn University (which breeds the specially-trained dogs) and Wyle Laboratories (which is developing the communications and data linkages by Man and his Best Friend.)
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