By: Allan Adamson –  techtimes.com – 15 January 2018

An AI algorithm can convert the vocalizations of prairie dogs into English. Now, animal behavior expert Con Slobodchikoff is working on a pet translator that can translate a dog’s barks into human language. When will this device become available?

Using artificial intelligence, scientists learn how to translate vocalizations and facial expressions of animals into something that humans can understand.

Animal behavior expert Con Slobodchikoff is one of these researchers whose work may allow pets and their owners to effectively converse with each other using a pet translator in less than ten years.

Slobodchikoff, from Northern Arizona University, has studied footage of dogs engaged in a range of behaviors including growling, barking and howling, and used AI to understand how these animals communicate.

He hopes that with the help of machine learning, computers can help humans understand what a particular gesture of pets such as the wagging of the tail, or growling really means.

The researcher has been studying North American prairie dogs for 30 years. He found that the animals have their own language system that conveys complicated instructions and commands.

The rodents also use calls that alert members of their group of incoming threats. Interestingly, these warnings include specific information about the predator such as its size and coat color.

Pet Translator
Working with a computer scientist, Slobodchikoff developed an algorithm that converted the prairie dog’s vocalizations into English. He has since expanded his work to include studying the behaviors and barkings of dogs.

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Source: Pet Translator: Scientist Developing Device To Convert Dog Barks Into English Language : SCIENCE : Tech Times