Exploring assistive technology for assistance dog owners in emergency situations

Abstract

Many vulnerable individuals own an assistance dog. Previous work has shown that a domestic alarm, Ringsel, allows assistance dogs to "call for help" via a canine interface that they interact with by pulling a detachment off with their mouths. Here we discuss the potential for systems like the Ringsel to leverage distinct behavioral patterns exhibited by the canine users to aid the automatic detection of emergencies by being used in coordination with existing assistive technologies for emergency detection and response.