Man’s best friend is set to become even more useful as scientists have made a major breakthrough in helping them to drive vehicles through the development and introduction of the new ScentNavTM.
“Getting dogs to drive has always been difficult.” said Doctor Bob Whyman, Head of Canine Automotive Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University. “Apart from the obvious things like getting a steering wheel that they can hold onto and peddles that they can push the main problems are that they are pack animals and they are too easily distracted. They just can’t concentrate long enough on the road ahead.”
“This has been an interesting area of study for us however” he adds “and the potential benefits are enormous, think of how this could be an extension to guide dog and mobility services as well as think of all the trucks that go up and down our roads that could be driven by dogs. After all pet insurance can be so much cheaper than your car policy.”
The ScentNavTM is a small device that fits on the steering wheel just in front of the dog’s nose and is used to indicate change of direction. Rather than like in a traditional satnav where a voice is used to give instructions scent is emitted which stimulates the dog’s brain causing it to respond and move the steering wheel. As dogs are pack animals they will happily follow each other and so a pack is projected onto the bottom of the windscreen. Any deviation from the direction of the road leads to a movement in the projected pack which the dog follows and keeps the vehicle where it should be. These new devices work on the dog’s natural instincts which seem unnatural and strange to human drivers.
As Dr Whyman adds “There is some clever electronics behind all of this. When a dog spots something on the horizon their ears tend to prick up and the level of rise is used to operate the accelerator, the higher the ears the faster it goes. On the other hand they wag their tail when things come close and sensors at the back of the seat detect the motion and are used to apply the brakes.”
So could we soon be seeing our streets filled with dog operated vans, lorries, cars and even buses? “Well it is entirely possible,” enthuses Bob “so far we have got them driving at speeds of up to 20 kph and we have had very few accidents so far though traffic densities have not been that great. There are still some issues to iron out such as changing gears and we might have to ask the council to reduce the number of lampposts but other than that we are confident that we are on the edge of commercial success.”
In a related story, the price of Rover shares rose by 6% in the Hong Kong market overnight.
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 