Researchers are looking to develop a monitoring system on dogs’ collars to find out more information about the health of their elderly owners. The researchers included Dr. Cassim Ladha, Emma Hughes and Nils Hammerla from the Newcastle University, UK.

The researchers mapped the behavior of healthy dogs to identify behavior changes that may indicate illness and set a benchmark for the remote monitoring of dogs. Dr. Ladha said that much of the researcher focused on developing “Intelligent systems that can help older people to live independently for longer.” He says, “But developing a system that reassures family and carers that an older relative is well without intruding on that individual's privacy is difficult. This is just the first step, but the idea behind this research is that it would allow us to discreetly support people without the need for cameras.”

The developed a dog collar with an accelerometer that collected data on 13 dog breeds. Dr. Ladha said, “This had to work for all dogs.” He added, “So the challenge was to map distinct behaviors that correlated whether the collar was being worn by a square-shouldered bulldog or a tiny chihuahua.”

The sensor identified 17 dog activities to monitor to identify the health of their owners that day. Although the aim was to monitor dogs with obtrusive cameras, the researchers did set up cameras in the collar initially.

With around 70% accuracy, the sensors picked up the activities and researchers linked them to behavior traits indicating the wellbeing of a dog. Nils Hammerla said, “A dog's physical and emotional dependence on their owner means that their wellbeing is likely to reflect that of their owner, and any changes such as the dog being walked less often, perhaps not being fed regularly, or simply demonstrating 'unhappy' behavior could be an early indicator for families that an older relative needs help.”