BEER-SHEVA, Israel, July 10, 2019 – Dogs can be trained to respond to haptic vibration commands while wearing a modified canine vest developed by an interdisciplinary research team at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU). 

The study, “Vibrotactile Vest for Remote Human-Dog Communication,” will be presented at the World Haptics Conferenceon July 12 in Tokyo, Japan. Haptics technology simulates the senses of touch and motion, which is especially helpful in a remote operation or computer simulation where the user is not able to interact with and feel physical objects.

The technology may be useful for delivering remote commands to dogs for use in search and rescue, assisting disabled handlers, and other service animal applications. 

“Our research results showed that dogs responded to these vibrotactile cues as well or even better than vocal commands ,” says Prof. Amir Shapiro, director of the Robotics Laboratory within BGU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering . “Our current proof-of-concept study shows promising results that open the way toward the use of haptics for human-canine communication.”

The modified, commercially available mesh canine vest contains four small vibrating motors positioned over a dog’s back and sides that can be used to train or direct dogs to respond to different vibrations sent via wireless remote control. The h andler can elicit different commands by controlling the site and duration of vibrations. In this demonstration video, Tai, a six-year-old Labrador retriever/German shepherd crossbreed, responds to several distinct commands, such as   “spin,” “down,” “to me,” or “backpedal.”

The haptic vest may also be used with existing dog training devices that detect posture and automate reward systems. “Integrating devices will allow us to further advance the potential of fully or partially autonomic dog training to assess general behavior, responsiveness to commands and the effectiveness of rewarding dogs for desired behavior,” says Prof. Shapiro.

Future research will test the haptic vest technology on different breeds, ages and training experience, and will integrate more advanced devices into search and rescue, military work dog and service dog programs.

The research was supported by the Helmsley Charitable Trust for BGU’s Agricultural, Biological and Cognitive (ABC) Robotics Initiative . 

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) is the fastest growing research university in Israel. With 20,000 students, 4,000 staff and faculty members, and three campuses in Beer-Sheva, Sede Boqer and Eilat, BGU is an agent of change, fulfilling the vision of David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s legendary first prime minister, who envisaged the future of Israel emerging from the Negev. The University is at the heart of Beer-Sheva's transformation into the country's cyber capital, where leading multinational corporations eagerly leverage BGU’s expertise to generate innovative R&D.

Now in its 50th year, BGU’s mission continues to be effecting change, locally, regionally and internationally. With faculties in Engineering Sciences; Health Sciences; Natural Sciences; Humanities and Social Sciences; Business and Management; and Desert Studies, BGU is a university with a conscience, active both on the frontiers of science and in the community. Over a third of our students participate in one of the world's most developed community action programs. The University is a recognized national and global leader in many fields, actively encouraging multi-disciplinary collaborations with government and industry, and nurturing entrepreneurship and innovation in all its forms.