A new device that converts dogs§ yelps into words is quickly gaining the attention of canine lovers, but some say its makers could be barking up the wrong tree.

 The device, dubbed "Bow-lingual," is set to hit the shelves in February next year. Produced by toy manufacturer Takara Co. Ltd., it will retail for 12,800 yen.

 A small microphone attached to the dog§s collar decodes the tone of any barks it picks up and zaps the information to a portable hand-sized display. After separating the dog§s barks into one of six emotional categories, the device emits such phrases as "I§m annoyed" or "I§ve done it!" through a speaker. At the end of the day, it sums up the dog§s feelings, saying things like, "I§m a bit lonely today."

 In creating data for the dog§s barks, the manufacturer collected about 2,000 sounds from 100 dogs. Since Takara announced it would begin selling the devices, it has gained attention from media in Japan and overseas.

 "It seems like the trial device is the first of its kind," a Takara spokesman said. The toy maker is also reportedly receiving calls from pet owners asking them to create a similar device for cats.

 However, some have their doubts about the gadget.

 "It§s like a dream, but you probably don§t need it to build good ties with your dog," said Australian shepherd dog owner Chiho Mizutani. "It would be ridiculous for a machine to understand my dog§s feelings better than me," the 18-year-old said.

 Takara, which employed the help of animal movement study specialists in developing the decoder, says it aims for "90 percent accuracy" in converting canines§ barks into speech, but experts say accurate translation remains impossible.

 "There are no objective standards when it comes to judging dogs§ feelings. Even if leading technology is used, accurate translation is impossible," said Yoichi Tokura of the NTT Science and Core Technology Laboratory Group. "Communication with animals is fun precisely because owners can interpret their responses however they like."

 Others warn that the translator could lead to owners unnecessarily trying to force communication with their pets.

 "It will be all right if dogs don§t suffer stress from their owners going out of their way to make them bark," said a doubtful Fumio Imoto, of the Society for the Study of Human-Animal Relations. "Dogs don§t make much noise when they are satisfied or having a good time. It§s when they are uneasy, want something or are assuming a threat that they bark. But I suppose it§s fun for the owners to §hear§ those feelings in words."

 Takara hopes to sell at least 200,000 of the gadgets. It has even planned a system tentatively entitled "bow-lingual mail" that automatically e-mails translations of a dog§s barks to its owner.

 So will the decoding devices sell hot off the shelves? Imoto predicts they will. "Today, when a veterinarian says something won§t be popular, it sells wildly."



 ∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴ 원본메세지 ∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴

 §개 언어 통역장치§ 日서 개발


 일본의 완구 메이커 ‘다카라’는 애완견이 짖을 때 뜻을 몰라 답답했던 애견가들을 위해 개의 감정을 미리 프로그래밍한 전자음성으로 전달받을 수 있는 세계 최초의 ‘개 언어 통역장치’를 개발, 내년 봄에 판매한다고 8일 밝혔다.

‘바우링구얼(Bowlingual)’이라는 이름의 이 제품은 신용카드보다 약간 작으며 개의 으르렁거리는 소리와 짖는 소리를 욕구불만·경고·자기표현·행복·슬픔·욕구 등 6가지 감정으로 분류해 인식한 뒤 200가지의 내장된 인간 언어로 변환해 표시해준다.

개의 목에 손가락 크기의 마이크를 달아 개가 짖는 소리를 적외선으로 내장 언어 패턴에 접합시키는 이 장치의 시판 예정 가격은 1만2800엔(약 14만원)이다. 통역 가능한 표현엔 “안돼요” “서 있을 수 없어요” “어휴, 따분해” “외로워요, 함께 더 놀아주세요” 등이 있다고 회사측은 설명했다.

회사측은 “외출해서도 애견과 ‘대화’할 수 있는, 휴대전화 서비스도 개발할 계획”이라고 밝혔다. 또 “오늘은 재미있는 일이 너무 많았다” “최고로 행복했던 하루였다”는 식으로 개의 감정을 음성으로 저장하는 ‘개 일기장’도 생산할 예정이다.

 (동경=박정훈특파원 jh-park@chosun.com)