A UK firm has developed a camera system that relays video and audio information from rescue dogs, helping man's best friend to lend a paw in emergency situations, the BBC reports.
The system is called PAWS -- a heart-melting backronym that stands for 'Portable, All-terrain Wireless System' and takes the form of a harness that's saddled on to the brave rescue hounds.
The Beeb has a video of the system in action, complete with adorable dog. Developed by Wood & Douglas, the harness features a camera that sits atop the dog's bonce, and relays video and sound back to a monitor.
The dog can then go sniffing around in tricky terrain that our own clunky human bodies would struggle to navigate, such as a collapsed building or avalanche. Standing safely out of the way, the two-legged half of the dynamic human-hound duo observes from a monitor, waiting to hear the barking that signifies a person has been found.
According to Wood & Douglas' site, the harness is "of a light but robust design" and if you're worried about the dog being uncomfortable while saving lives, the firm says adjusters are in place to keep the little blighter comfy.
It's a great use of tech, and certainly gives us paws for thought (we're not even sorry). We highly recommend checking out the video over at the BBC's site, especially the very cool footage taken from the dog's point of view. It certainly makes for more dynamic viewing than the HamsterCam we constructed.
If you'd rather rely on a robot in an emergency, check out this adorable Kinect-powered rescue droid.
Have you seen any ace examples of animals working with tech? Tell us in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
Image credit: BBC
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