BowLingual
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Bowlingual (or "Bow-Lingual" as the North American version is spelled) is a computer-based dog-to-human language translation device developed by Japanese toy company Takara. The device was honored by Time Magazine as a "Best Invention of 2002." Additionally, in 2002, Bowlingual's credited inventors Keita Satoh, then President of Takara; Dr. Matsumi Suzuki, President of Japan Acoustic Lab; and Dr. Norio Kogure, Executive Director, Kogure Veterinary Hospital, were awarded the humorous Ig Nobel Prize for "promoting peace and harmony between the species."
The device is billed as a "translator" but it might more precisely be called an emotion analyzer. It is said to use technology to categorize dog barks into one of six standardized emotional categories. Then, for fun, Bowlingual also provides an often humorous phrase representative of that emotion. But the product package clearly notes that the phrases "are for entertainment purposes only" and it seems that they are not meant to be true translations of each bark.
The product claims to work on any breed of dog with over 80 different dog breeds pre-programmed for easy initial set-up. For mixed breeds, the user must input the type of dog by size and shape of the muzzle.
Bowlingual also has several other functions which vary slightly depending on regional version, including dog training tips, a "Bow Wow Diary," tips on understanding your dog's body language, a medical checklist, and a home alone bark recording function.
The device consists of a hand-held receiver, which also acts as the contoller and contains an LCD information screen and a wireless microphone-transmitter which attaches to a dog's collar. When a dog barks, the microphone records and transmits the sound to the hand-held unit for computer analysis against a database of thousands of dog barks. The unit then categorizes the bark into one of six distinct dog emotions (happy, sad, frustrated, on-guard, assertive, needy) and displays the corresponding emotion on the screen. After displaying the emotion, Bowlingual then displays one of nearly 200 cute or humourous phrases which have been categorized to fit within the range of each emotion and, according to the package, "represent what your dog might say, if only it could speak."
Three regional versions of Bowlingual have been released. One for Japan, a nearly identical version for South Korea and a functionally, slightly modified version for the United States and Canada. Due to the varying transmission and frequency specifications used in the wireless collar-microphone system, each regional version will not function properly if used outside of its intended region.
In May 2003, at the request of the Japan Foreign Ministry, Takara provided Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi with two prototypes of the English version of Bowlingual several months before it had been released in North America. Koizumi presented these special items to Russian President Vladimir Putin, one for each of his dogs (Tosca, a standard Poodle, and Connie, a Labrador Retriever), at ceremonies celebrating the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg.
[edit] Effectiveness
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Bowlingual uses well-established voice-print analysis technology combined with specialized software which adapts the technology for dog barks. However, the package also states clearly that "Bow-Lingual is an entertainment product." Nevertheless, testing done in light of Takara's actual claims, namely, an ability to distinguish one of six distinct dog emotions: happy, sad, frustrated, on-guard, assertive and needy, generally show that the device proves remarkably accurate in its stated emotion translation functionality. Once Bowlingual determines the emotion, it then displays one of nearly 200 tongue-in-cheek phrases which have been categorized to fit within the range of each emotion and, according to the package, "represent what your dog might say, if only it could speak." But the package notes that the phrases "are for entertainment purposes only." They are obviously not meant to be a perfect match for the situation at hand.
Yet many users and some product reviewers have ignored the very specific and limited claims made by the manufacturer and have also failed to place any value on the humorous and fun aspects of the product. Some also ignore some or all of the device's other useful functions. And despite the actual relatively modest claims made by Takara, the media often portrayed the product as "an electronic 'Dr. Dolittle'" creating some unrealistic expectations for the product.
There are however, several situations which can cause consistent inaccuracy by Bowlingual. One of the most common is sound interference, in which the device reacts to a noise other than a dog bark. This is most often a problem when the wireless collar-microphone is attached to a noisy dog collar, such as a chain-type collar or a collar with dog tags attached. In such cases, the jerking movement of the dog when barking causes the collar to rattle and the microphone may pick up the sound of klinking metal instead of the sound of the bark. Since the sound coincides perfectly with the barking, the user believes that the device is misinterpreting the dog emotion, when in fact, it is not registering a bark at all.
Additionally, under very windy conditions the microphone will sometimes interpret wind as a bark. Also under certain conditions nearby electrical equipment or certain radio signals will trigger false readouts. These may or may not coincide with actual barking, but nevertheless interfere with the user experience. These problems are more common with Japanese and Korean versions of the device, as various technological improvements were made between the time of the release of the Asian versions and the North American version of the device.
As mentioned earlier, some reviewers found the device to be ineffective. According to vet Sophia Yin,[1], "it's not very useful because the translations aren't trustworthy and most don't make sense." On the other hand, other animal professionals and even some noted celebrities like Oprah Winfrey recommended Bowlingual as a fun toy which encourages more healthy interaction between people and their dogs, with an added benefit of training, first aid and body language information which can be very useful and educational.
