活動中のイヌに報酬を与えるスーツ搭載給餌器の開発

抄録

There is a demand for canine long-distance navigation. It can extend the search range of search & rescue dogs and increase the exercise opportunity of household dogs. We have shown that on-suit light beams can guide dogs who are trained to follow a light using food and a clicker as a reward. However, feeding machines or people aren’t suitable for long-distance navigation training because the range of canine motion is limited to near them. In this paper, we propose a canine suit equipped with a feeder. We developed a small feeding launcher mechanism that can shoot out dogs’ food with different lengths and widths. The launching mechanism is optimized so that the food can be fed beyond the head of canines during activity. We evaluated whether the feeding launcher mechanism on the suit can fly foods, using a stuffed dog.