Enthusiasts of The Simpsons will recall the classic episode Number 24 of Season 3 where Homer's half-brother recorded the sounds made by baby Maggie under various circumstances and invented a translating device which converted infant cooing and crying into English.
In much the same vein, The Temptations Lab in Great Britain has developed Catterbox--an electronic collar to be worn by your cat which will translate the animal's meows into human speech. The pet's owner has the choice of different voices to select for the device, and it can be disconcerting to hear a fluffy little kitty announce in stentorian Darth Vader-like tones decrees such as "Feed me!" or, more likely, in the case of my daughter's cat, "Come closer so that I can disembowel you."
The device, containing a microphone, speaker, Bluetooth technology, and wifi, is available in four attractive colors. For the website demonstrating and describing the product, click here.
The prototype was supposed to have been released on April 28, 2016 in the United States and New Zealand. Cynics might suggest that since The Temptations Lab was created by ad agency adam&eveddb and that there appears to be no actual way of purchasing the gadget yet, it might possibly not really exist and just be a publicity stunt. It would be cool if it is real, though.
So, is it now possible to have your cat communicate with you? Maybe not in English, but I still get a good general idea anyway of what message my daughter's cat is trying to convey when he rakes me with his claws as I walk by him.
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| Photo from The Temptations Lab |
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