gda@creare.uucp (gda) (04/11/85)
Topics in DSP (Dog Signal Processing)
G. D. Abbott
FILTERS
Work in Dog Cascade Filters centers around the following problem: Ginger is
awakened by the cycling of the refrigerator and begins to bark. Molly,
awakened by Ginger's barking, also begins to bark. The neighbors' dogs,
depending on certain threshold criteria , may also begin to bark. The
neighbors' neighbors' dogs will then bark, etc. In most cases the barking
animal density function (BAD) becomes non-convergent. Adequate filtering to
prevent dog cascading is essential.
An even worse problem occurs when Ginger, satisfied that the refrigerator
poses no threat, becomes interested in the barking of Molly and the
neighbors' dogs - and barks back. In this case we need to apply the
recursive forms of the filters.
BARK RECOGNITION
The need for good bark recognition is not a pressing one; after all, who
cares what the dog wants to say ? On the other hand, many researchers prefer
this field over human speech recognition because it is easier. First, the
vocabulary is highly restricted. The dog only wants to say things like
"There's some one at the door" or "I need to go outside" or "I'm hungry"; at
least that's all we think the dog should want to say and that's good enough
for us. The second advantage of working on bark recognition is that we
don't have to "train" the recognition system to the dog's bark, it is easier
to train the dog. The training procedure involves setting up a simple
microphone and computer system with a three-light display. The bark
recognition system can base its discrimination on any one of several
features: formant structure, pitch, or loudness. When the dog barks in a
certain way a light will indicate that the dog want to "go outside". Another
light will mean that the dog wants to eat. A third light indicates danger
at the door. If the appropriate action is taken with each light (i.e.
letting the dog out, feeding the dog, yelling "Foo ! Go Away !" at the door)
the dog will begin to understand what each bark means and will use them to
get what he wants. (This last assertion is controversial. Some psychologists
prefer to believe that the association works the other way - the dog begins
to want what he gets, and barking in a certain way will cause the dog to
suddenly need to go outside.)
BARKER RECOGNITION
Related to the problem of Bark Recognition is that of Barker Recognition.
The importance of Barker Recognition can be shown by another example.
Ginger, a mature dog, may safely be left inside, alone. Molly, the puppy,
exhibits destructive doggy demon processes in the absence of tight Master
Control, and, therefore, must be left in the background, or backyard. During
long trips by the Master, however, even the mature dog needs a break, and a
solution has been proposed, based on Maxwell's Demon, where an automatic
door would allow a particular dog to enter and exit freely while excluding
all others., bring a new meaning to "Dog Security Systems". The key problem
is that of recognizing the "safe dog". While some are attempting to solve
this problem with methods involving "paw-print" analysis or robot vision
systems that count spots, the barker recognition approach seems to hold the
greatest promise, due to its simplicity. Just as bark recognition can be
based on simple forms of analysis, barker recognition is again a matter of
training the barker to produce the right stimulus for the desired response.
While in high security circles it is noted that undesired dog may learn to
imitate the welcome dog (referred to as "dog aliasing"), leading researchers
feel this is not currently a problem, as the puppy "probably won't get it".
BARK SYNTHESIS
Communicating our wishes the the dog can often be frustrating (see
"Programming the User Friendly Dog", Cottrell 1984). While part of the
problem lies in the restricted vocabulary (instruction set) of the dog,
DSP researchers feel that another part of the problem is phonetic. Dogs
simply do not understand English, especially when they don't want to. Useful
devices are now being developed to communicate to the dog in his own
language. A hand-held device, including a small speaker and a keyboard
marked with dog phonemes, has been developed which can produce sounds that
any dog will immediately understand. Useful phrases, such as "I'm happy to
see you !", "Let's play !", and "Get away ! This is MY food !", can be
produced at the touch of a button. While this approach proves to be
wonderfully useful, the acoustic method is now being augmented with tactile
stimulation, as researchers have shown that many dogs experience temporary
hearing-loss at certain times of the day.
DOG BEAMFORMING
The application of phased-barker arrays for military purposes is classified at
the present time and cannot be discussed here.
Gray Abbott
Creare Inc.
{...dartvax!creare!gda}gda@creare.uucp (gda) (04/11/85)
Topics in DSP (Dog Signal Processing)
G. D. Abbott
The following article summarizes current problems in the field of Dog Signal
Processing. The author does not claim a complete understanding of any of
these fields, but some one's got to write review articles, right ?
FILTERS
Work in Dog Cascade Filters centers around the following problem: Ginger is
awakened by the cycling of the refrigerator and begins to bark. Molly,
awakened by Ginger's barking, also begins to bark. The neighbors' dogs,
depending on certain threshold criteria , may also begin to bark. The
neighbors' neighbors' dogs will then bark, etc. In most cases the barking
animal density function (BAD) becomes non-convergent. Adequate filtering to
prevent dog cascading is essential.
An even worse problem occurs when Ginger, satisfied that the refrigerator
poses no threat, becomes interested in the barking of Molly and the
neighbors' dogs - and barks back. In this case we need to apply the
recursive forms of the filters.
BARK RECOGNITION
The need for good bark recognition is not a pressing one; after all, who
cares what the dog wants to say ? On the other hand, many researchers prefer
this field over human speech recognition because it is easier. First, the
vocabulary is highly restricted. The dog only wants to say things like
"There's some one at the door" or "I need to go outside" or "I'm hungry"; at
least that's all we think the dog should want to say and that's good enough
for us. The second advantage of working on bark recognition is that we
don't have to "train" the recognition system to the dog's bark, it is easier
to train the dog. The training procedure involves setting up a simple
microphone and computer system with a three-light display. The bark
recognition system can base its discrimination on any one of several
features: formant structure, pitch, or loudness. When the dog barks in a
certain way a light will indicate that the dog want to "go outside". Another
light will mean that the dog wants to eat. A third light indicates danger
at the door. If the appropriate action is taken with each light (i.e.
letting the dog out, feeding the dog, yelling "Foo ! Go Away !" at the door)
the dog will begin to understand what each bark means and will use them to
get what he wants. (This last assertion is controversial. Some psychologists
prefer to believe that the association works the other way - the dog begins
to want what he gets, and barking in a certain way will cause the dog to
suddenly need to go outside.)
BARKER RECOGNITION
Related to the problem of Bark Recognition is that of Barker Recognition.
The importance of Barker Recognition can be shown by another example.
Ginger, a mature dog, may safely be left inside, alone. Molly, the puppy,
exhibits destructive doggy demon processes in the absence of tight Master
Control, and, therefore, must be left in the background, or backyard. During
long trips by the Master, however, even the mature dog needs a break, and a
solution has been proposed, based on Maxwell's Demon, where an automatic
door would allow a particular dog to enter and exit freely while excluding
all others, bringing a new meaning to "Dog Security Systems". The key problem
is that of recognizing the "safe dog". While some are attempting to solve
this problem with methods involving "paw-print" analysis or robot vision
systems that count spots, the barker recognition approach seems to hold the
greatest promise, due to its simplicity. Just as bark recognition can be
based on simple forms of analysis, barker recognition is again a matter of
training the barker to produce the right stimulus for the desired response.
While in high security circles it is noted that undesired dog may learn to
imitate the welcome dog (referred to as "dog aliasing"), leading researchers
feel this is not currently a problem, as the puppy "probably won't get it".
BARK SYNTHESIS
Communicating our wishes the the dog can often be frustrating (see
"Programming the User Friendly Dog", Cottrell 1984). While part of the
problem lies in the restricted vocabulary (instruction set) of the dog,
DSP researchers feel that another part of the problem is phonetic. Dogs
simply do not understand English, especially when they don't want to. Useful
devices are now being developed to communicate to the dog in his own
language. A hand-held device, including a small speaker and a keyboard
marked with dog phonemes, has been developed which can produce sounds that
any dog will immediately understand. Useful phrases, such as "I'm happy to
see you !", "Let's play !", and "Get away ! This is MY food !", can be
produced at the touch of a button. While this approach proves to be
wonderfully useful, the acoustic method is now being augmented with tactile
stimulation, as researchers have shown that many dogs experience temporary
hearing-loss at certain times of the day.
DOG BEAMFORMING
The application of phased-barker arrays for military purposes is classified at
the present time and cannot be discussed here.
Gray Abbott
Creare Inc.
{...dartvax!creare!gda}