US Army tests AR goggles on military dogs to give remote commands; here's how it works

US military has developed AR goggles for its working dogs' squad that would allow handlers to give remote commands to the military dogs that often scout areas for explosives devices. In a press release, the US army said the augmented reality goggles would ease the rescue operations and other missions as officers will be able to instruct necessary commands and cues to dogs, remotely, at a safe distance that put the soldiers in harm’s way. 

US army dogs are equipped with the live cameras and visual indicators for troops to issue directions for sniffing out explosives, hazardous materials, and rescue missions. The AR goggles, although a prototype still from the Seattle-based company, will help keep soldiers out of danger.

The technology was developed under a project funded by the Small Business Innovation Research program, managed by the US Army Research Office, an element of the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory. The device was manufactured by the Command Sight, Inc to keep the warfighter remote, and bridge soldier’s and working canine’s communication on operation sites. 

“Augmented reality works differently for dogs than for humans,” said Dr. Stephen Lee, an ARO senior scientist. “AR will be used to provide dogs with commands and cues; it’s not for the dog to interact with it like a human does,” he said. “This new technology offers us a critical tool to better communicate with military working dogs,” he added.

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At this point, the US army said that the prototype was wired. The researchers, however, were looking at ways to develop wireless leash in the next phase of development. According to Dr. A.J. Peper that founded Command Sight in 2017, he identified the need to enhance efficacy in the US Army’s operation communications by speaking with former and current military operators. His prototype is aimed at changing the “system” in which the military canines are deployed for the armed forces’ mission.

Interestingly, the handler can see everything the dog sees, which enables them to provide commands through the glasses, the US Army informed in the release. The tool achieves that with canine vision and cognition technology, and Peper reportedly tested the prototype on his own Rottweiler, Mater.

“We still have a way to go from a basic science and development perspective before it will be ready for the wear and tear our military dogs will place on the units,” A.J. Peper said in Army’s press release, adding, dog’s ability to generalize training on AR goggles was “incredible”.

Military working dog community 'excited'

US Soldiers direct military dogs via hand signals and laser pointers that require soldiers to remain in vicinity creating safety issues during operations. While the troop place camera and a walkie talkie on military canines it, sometimes, leads to confusion. “Dog runs around a set of stairs rather than going upon them,” the Army informed, citing Special Forces dogs on the mission. “The military working dog community is very excited about the potential of this technology,” Dr. Stephen Lee, an ARO senior scientist said. “This technology really cuts new ground and opens up possibilities that we haven’t considered yet.”

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