Our dogs are curious creatures who like to roam and explore the world around them. If we pet parents aren’t careful and checking on our dogs frequently, then they could end up getting lost.
There are many ways to search for your pooch if you lose them. From putting up flyers to microchipping, humans have been finding quicker, easier ways to reunite with pups who stray from home.
With technological advances, a startup company might have found a great solution if your dog is lost in the community. They’re using dogs’ nose prints and facial recognition software to do it.
What Is This New Program?
In China, a small startup company backed by Alibaba, a global conglomerate that specializes in artificial intelligence, developed a solution to help recover lost dogs.
The company, known as Megvii, mainly supplies facial recognition software for the Chinese government’s surveillance programs. Though this program focuses on human recognition, Megvii expanded this technology to recognize a specific part of a dog’s face. That specific part is their nose print, which is just as unique as a human’s fingerprint.
Megvii says that you can register your dog into the program by scanning their nose using your phone camera. And just like how you can now biometrically unlock your phone with the touch of your fingerprint, this program will be able to recognize your dog’s unique nose prints. The application will simply request you to take photos of your dog’s nose from different angles in order to cover every part of their snout.
Megvii has claimed 95 percent accuracy through this program and has been able to reunite 15,000 pets with their owners.
Dr. David Dorman, a professor of toxicology, stated, “Like human fingerprints, each dog has a unique nose print. Some kennel clubs have used dog nose prints for identification.”
How Is The Program Advancing?
Over the past few years, facial recognition, especially for pets, has become more widespread. The same concept is being used by researchers for wildlife conservation to help track and prevent illegal hunting and capturing of endangered species.
In the United States, an app called Finding Rover is also using the facial recognition technology to help locate cats and dogs whose owners report them missing.
Back in China, however, Megvii has stated that it will use this new expansion of their technology not just to help reunite pet parents with their lost pups, but to also monitor “uncivilized dog keeping” and to fine civilians who do not pick up after their dogs or allow them to walk without leashes in public places that do not allow it.
What do you think of using nose prints and facial recognition to find lost dogs? Would you consider using this app if you lose your dog? Let us know in the comments below!
