LED Dog Tail Communicator gives Fido a voice

Not like we haven't seen a similar idea passed around before, but James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau have apparently taken things one step further with their LED Dog Tail Communicator. As the title implies, the device would simply be affixed to your favorite canine's tail, after which it could broadcast actual words based on the speed of the tail wag. There's no telling just how many phrases the thing could spell out -- and honestly, we have no idea how accurate the statements would actually be -- but this may be just the thing to keep Rover quiet while still letting him get his point across.

[Via Coolest-Gadgets]

[soul7963 @ Apr 9th 2008 4:17AM]

Traditionally, jokes are only played on the 1st.

[nDee @ Apr 9th 2008 5:29AM]

Too early for 2009

[Pradster @ Apr 9th 2008 4:25AM]

i am presuming the lights are fit in the ass to make the tail spin so fast.

[Blackstar @ Apr 9th 2008 7:19AM]

No, that's where the batteries go.

[3rdsun @ Apr 9th 2008 4:29AM]

WPM = wags per minute?
If the dog chases its tail what will it spell?

[rokerovakero @ Apr 9th 2008 4:44AM]

it will spell doom for the expensive thing attached to his tail...

[John @ Apr 9th 2008 5:26AM]

It may spell doom, but can it play doom?

[smk @ Apr 9th 2008 5:27AM]

"DOOM, now available on your dog. Requirements: Dog tail. Only runs when you're dogs tail is actually wagging. Frame rates may vary depending on dog used."

[smk @ Apr 9th 2008 5:37AM]

How do we remove jaggies? Needs more fur coat :P

[r3loaded @ Apr 9th 2008 5:50AM]

Can I use both of my dogs in an SLI configuration? Do they have to be of the same breed?

[smk @ Apr 9th 2008 5:17AM]

Can I attach this to my tail? Oh, wait...

[staave @ Apr 9th 2008 6:49AM]

Damn evolution, making my emotions unreadable through LED. If only there was some way I could tell people :'(

[Shane @ Apr 9th 2008 7:38AM]

I have no problem telling what my dog's tail is trying to communicate to me...

Usually its "PLAY WITH ME!" or "GIVE ME A TREAT!"

One of my dogs wagged its tail so fast at one point that she actually injured it! I always knew she would injure herself or someone else with that thing...

[Evan @ Apr 9th 2008 7:45AM]

You'd need at least 900WPM to create a flicker-free image, which is well beyond the maximum wag-frequency of most canines. At 80 to 90WPM the image would be nearly incoherent.

[Bryan @ Apr 9th 2008 8:05AM]

Was it time for a refresh on this article? We saw this back in '05...

http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/18/dog-led-tail-light-broadcasting/

It's amazing what miniscule gadget articles can be remembered with an empty mind...

[riggs @ Apr 9th 2008 8:37AM]

whew, i thought his farts were talking or something.

[boobarella @ Apr 9th 2008 8:51AM]

What does the message say after the dog eats it off its tail and poops it out?

[Joel @ Apr 9th 2008 8:44AM]

0 WPM = "GET THIS BLOODY THING OFF OF ME!"

[Dan Davis @ Apr 9th 2008 8:50AM]

"I'M GOING TO BITE YOU IN THE JUNK NOW"

[Ben Willis @ Apr 9th 2008 8:52AM]

My dog would chew the thing to pieces in a few seconds. And I don't think he would go for a battery pack up his butt either. lol

[Rick @ Apr 9th 2008 9:37AM]

You are going to get visited by PETA, the SPCA and HSUS!

[N3obond @ Apr 9th 2008 10:40AM]

I don't think this would work very well...

[kal326 @ Apr 9th 2008 10:42AM]

I wonder wonder at how many wpm the message "I'm going to kill you for doing this!" shows up at? Probably a fairly low number I'm sure.

[MikeB @ Apr 9th 2008 11:09AM]

Sausages!
Sausages!
Sausage?
Sausages!

[ZeroCorpse @ Apr 9th 2008 2:11PM]

I have an old toy from the 1980s that does this. It was black, shaped like a small cricket bat, and had a yellow keypad on it. You typed in your message, and then waved it in the air. A little metal nub would click back and forth between two contacts, scrolling the message on the single bar of LED lights. When moved in the air, it made it look like a scrolling marquee.

I still have most of this toy. The guts, actually. It looks like this is the same thing as the guts of the toy, but scotch-taped to a dog's tail.