WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2009

	NEW WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY CALLS ON THE DOGS
Continued from page 1

Commands are typed into a PC, which uses a Bluetooth(R) link to control the collar transmissions. Developers have linked a dog’s natural hyper-sensitivity to ultrasonic sounds to so-called “broadband modulation.” Once encoded, the RF energy resonates with pathways in the dog’s brain illuminating a pre-coded message. The technology is incorporated in a USB Dongle and can be used on PC and MAC-based systems, although the MAC market is expected to outpace PC sales.

A number of commands are already embedded in the system, including the standard:

“Sit”, “Stay”, “Shake”, “Don’t Eat That”, “Where’s the Frisbee?”, “What did You Roll In?”  and “Stop Doing that on My Leg!” Version 2.0 of the RoverCommand software will allow users to program their own commands, specific to their relationship with their dog and will generate such messages as “Woozy woozy woozy woo” and “Your Mommy wuv you” and similar customized, private messaging.

Thelma Fisher, President of RoverSense, described the product during a recent telephone conference call with investors. “We’re very excited about this breakthrough! Working with our engineering team in Bangalore, we’ve created a platform for not only talking to dogs but, in the very near future listening to Man’s--and Woman’s--best friend.” Fisher laid out some of the firm’s broad ambitions in add-on complementary products, such as GPS tracking to locate runaway dogs and an “automode” that will send scheduled commands when the owner is away, such as: “Off the Couch, “Hey! Get out of the Trash” and “Stop Drinking out of the Toilet! You have a Water Bowl!”

A Training Video is available at RoverSense.com. Proficiency is normally achieved in six months of four-hour-a-day session between the dog and his master’s voice.

Fisher concluded the conference call with some future predictions: “We don’t expect a big cat market. Early testing shows that in spite of them receiving the signal, they still don’t respond. If approved for human use, however, a large market for parents with teenagers is expected.” No plans were made to market a Husband Model for recalcitrant spouses, owing again, to the expected lack of effectiveness.

Distribution will be through internet sales, word of mouth and major pet store chains.

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