Staying Out of Trouble Thanks To This Virtual Dog!
The virtual dog is meant to help people understand dogs better and counter their aggressiveness effectively.
People won’t second guess on the answer to the question of worlds favorite pet. Dogs have secured that position long ago and stayed there since. They have even earned the title of man’s best friend. However, as the number of dog adoptions has increased, so did injuries that are from dog bites. The psychology of dogs isn’t as simple as we think they are. Therefore, to help people understand dogs better, the University of Liverpool turned to the frontier of modern visual entertainment – virtual reality.
Virtual Engineering Center (VEC) under the patronage of the University of Liverpool collaborated with Dog trust and animal behavior experts to create a virtual setting with a virtual dog. With the help of animal behavior experts, the researchers were able to map the different behavioral traits of dogs.
With over 350,000 To take precautions against such scenarios, one must have the knowledge to identify aggressive behavior in dogs. By successfully identifying it, a person can then take fight or flight measures to counter the advances of an aggressive dog.
Having a real-life dog to aggressive behavior in front of others is not a feasible option, hence the search began to find a way that can help in this cause. Having the aid of a virtual dog presents itself as the perfect solution as people can get to know the behavioral changes in a dog when it is in an aggressive stance without harming themselves.
The Dog Trust took the idea on board and VEC took care of the rest! Extensive research was done to map the different aggressive behaviors of dogs and the design team went on with the simulation part. They gave extra attention to detail because as an educational project, it should convey meaningful lessons to the person immersed in the VR experience. The presentation will show a virtual puppy showing different signs of aggression like licking its lips, showing the teeth, growling etc.
With the different behavioral changes, the presentation will show corresponding information and the key points to spot in an aggressive dog. The researchers hope this modern way of teaching is going to change how awareness campaigns are conducted. The project isn’t over yet as the design team is working hard to make the imagery more lifelike details.
