Tricks and treats: designing technology to support mobility assistance dogs

Assistance dogs are a key intervention to support the autonomy of people with tetraplegia. Previous research on assistive technologies have investigated ways to, ultimately, replace their labour using technology, for instance through the design of smart home environments. However, both the disability studies literature and our interviews suggest there is an immediate need to support these relationships, both in terms of training and bonding. Through a case study of an accessible dog treats dispenser, we investigate a technological intervention responding to these needs, detailing an appropriate design methodology and contributing insights into user requirements and preferences

Wearable Alert System for Mobility-Assistance Service Dogs

© 2015 The authors and California State University, Northridge.We present a study of a wearable alert system for mobility-assistance dogs. Our focus in this study is on assessing sensor and dog activation reliability for the purpose of understanding both system and dog training challenges. We improve on the results from previous work in each of four performance metrics and we present solutions to some practical issues necessary for achieving more reliable and consistent experimental results. We also interviewed active service dog users concerning technical, social and canine considerations, the results of which may inform future studies

Canine-centered computing

Draws upon the extensive foundations and literature in human-centered computing to identify and adapt models and methods that are relevant for canines. Surveys canine-centered computing and canine psychophysics, and generates a framework and set of guidelines to help inform the requirements, design, and evaluation of systems for canines

FIDO—Facilitating interactions for dogs with occupations: wearable communication interfaces for working dogs

© Springer London. The original publication is available at www.springerlink.comDOI: 10.1007/s00779-014-0817-9Working dogs have improved the lives of thousands of people throughout history. However, communication between human and canine partners is currently limited. The main goal of the FIDO project is to research fundamental aspects of wearable technologies to support communication between working dogs and their handlers. In this study, the FIDO team investigated on-body interfaces for dogs in the form of wearable technology integrated into assistance dog vests. We created five different sensors that dogs could activate based on natural dog behaviors such as biting, tugging, and nose touches. We then tested the sensors on-body with eight dogs previously trained for a variety of occupations and compared their effectiveness in several dimensions. We were able to demonstrate that it is possible to create wearable sensors that dogs can reliably activate on command, and to determine cognitive and physical factors that affect dogs’ success with body–worn interaction technology