Wearable Alert System for Mobility-Assistance Service Dogs

Abstract

We present a study of a wearable alert system for mobility-assistance dogs. Our focus in this study is on assessing sensor and dog activation reliability for the purpose of understanding both system and dog training challenges. We improve on the results from previous work in each of four performance metrics and we present solutions to some practical issues necessary for achieving more reliable and consistent experimental results. We also interviewed active service dog users concerning technical, social and canine considerations, the results of which may inform future studies.