Dogs taught to drive cars in New Zealand

Dogs taught to drive cars in New Zealand

www.guardian.co.uk

These three dogs rescued from a New Zealand animal shelter are being taught to drive in an effort to show how intelligent they are - and encourage more people to adopt abandoned pets.

(visit the link for the full news article)

This brief news article is centered around a one-and-a-half minute video with these dogs driving actual cars and going through their training.

Apparently, as the video shows, one of the first hurdles is getting them accustomed to the gear shift operation - where even with an automatic transmission it presents some deal of difficulty. Future designs could open up a new field and demand for advancement of canine ergonomics.

Though the purpose is said to encourage people to adopt abandoned pets and demonstrate canine intelligence it takes little imagination to visualize future tasks for man's best friend. Perhaps future NASA Mars rovers will actually place Rover at the wheel.


www.guardian.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by Erongaricuaro


Just a gimmick to attract funding.

These dogs are not driving cars any more than the mouse nasa puts on the space shuttle flys it into space.

Originally posted by Wertdagf
reply to post by Erongaricuaro

 

Just a gimmick to attract funding.

These dogs are not driving cars any more than the mouse nasa puts on the space shuttle flys it into space.

Watch the video. Though these pooches are not navigating rush-hour traffic I believe it is demonstrated they are in control of the vehicle, and little doubt to a much greater degree than a mouse piloting a space shuttle.

I cant wait for the future when dogs drive taxi's.

That will be sweet.

Off topic: Multiple tornados on the ground in Nz right now btw.

On topic: Dogs could easily learn to drive, probably better than 90% of the fools I encounter on a daily basis.

Originally posted by spangledbanner
I cant wait for the future when dogs drive taxi's.

That will be sweet.

Taxi stands will necessarily have to be located next to fire hydrants, which could create new types of problems for firefighters along increasing fire hazards. Car-chasing dogs will consider "Driver, follow that cab" to be their dream fare.

I certainly would not want to argue over a fare or stiff a pitbull for his tip, though for restaurant customers the drivers would likely prefer their doggie-bag over cash gratuities.

Originally posted by Erongaricuaro
Car-chasing dogs will consider "Driver, follow that cab" to be their dream fare. I certainly would not want to argue over a fare or stiff a pitbull for his tip.

imagine the road rage!

at least you can pay for the taxi with treats and dog biscuits. maybe a bone or two if you really want to get to the airport quickly.

If dogs had opposable thumbs, I have no doubt that they could accomplish some amazing things.

Just look at what they can do already! Service dogs can open doors and get things for their masters on demand. They can be trained to call for help on a phone in an emergency and turn on and off lights. They can navigate blind masters through buildings and through pedestrian traffic. Many dogs are capable of learning complicated commands and many, many words. Search and rescue dogs are amazing! Some dogs are even police officers who are very intelligent.

When you consider that dogs have other senses better than ours, such as great smell and hearing, if they only had thumbs, they could do so much more with those skills! They also have instincts that are still a mystery, such as the ability to predict earthquakes, or know if their masters are about to have a seizure.

Dogs have a selfless devotion that leads them to do anything to protect their family. That kind of love comes from their intelligence, which is beyond basic instinct.

I'm sure we have all seen our dogs try to pick things up or move them around with their paws. You can almost see them thinking - "darn, if only I had thumbs"

So, if a car was fitted to work with their paws, I have no doubt they could learn to drive! However, we should probably not let them into traffic. Most still can get easily distracted. I can just imagine them driving along, then all of a sudden... "CAT!!!!!!" and swerving off into traffic to chase down a passing distraction

Originally posted by Samuelis
Dogs could easily learn to drive, probably better than 90% of the fools I encounter on a daily basis.

I can't really argue that point. It is not a vastly great leap beyond guide-dogs for the blind, except for the addition of a ton or two of hurtling metal and 200 horsepower. Dogs are probably much more alert than most human drivers, and likely have better reaction time. The problem I fear most would be the inevitable cat-distractions, then all bets are off.

Yeah but....

Getting that key in without a opposable thumb.

Now that would be impressive...

This is really something. Animals seem to have alot of intelligence themselves, minus the opposable thumbs. Now imagine if they had robotic devices that operated as thumbs.....

Rescue Dogs Taught How To Drive A Car In New Zealand - Video

Here's another clip on the same thing.

I'm surprised this isn't getting more attention. This is a really remarkable thread.

With this intelligence being demonstrated, and they seem to be aware they're moving, looking around for hazards, very intense expressions, its shows us how wrong we are in our conclusions about anything.

Also, could you imagine, robotic hands and devices for dogs and perhaps other animals that were brain activated, and training. We could be tapping into an incredible potential for intelligence and activities.

However, don't think for one minute dogs or animals should be enslaved as if they're little R2D2's.

Frank, my dachshund, has been doing this for years....

Great!!, More Bitches on the road that won't let me merge into the lane.


Finally a bitch that can drive.


Ok , I will stop now.

Forget the car, can they train them to drive a riding lawnmower?

Video:



Adds new meaning to the phrase "Man's best friend", when said friend can now drive your drunk ass home from the bar.