HANDS
TEACHING NEW TRICKS
Isn ’ t it time dogs benefited from cognitive and neurological science ?
BY BRANDON YU , MUIR ’ 16
EVEN THE MOST WELL-BEHAVED DOG can get into trouble when left unattended . With most American households abandoned for the workday , man ’ s best friend is often left alone — bored , anxious and likely to wreak havoc on a favorite pair of sneakers ( or worse ).
Leave it to Tritons to find the solution — one that goes beyond curing boredom and preventing messes , and uses research to revolutionize our pets ’ lives . Such was the goal of Leo Trottier , M . S . ’ 07 , and Dan Knudsen , Ph . D . ’ 13 , two UC San Diego graduates who saw the unique opportunity to apply their scientific skills to a market that has been historically dry of new technology .
The pair co-founded the company CleverPet , whose first offering is the Hub , an interactive and adaptive tool that engages dogs in automated activities using food to incentivize successful completion of various learning games . Via three touch pads , an array of lights and the ability to record an owner ’ s voice , the Hub cognitively stimulates dogs while keeping them happily busy and curious . Drawing upon Trottier and Knudsen ’ s background in research science , the console was designed to constantly adjust its difficulty level and interaction patterns according to data sets that are analyzed over the device ’ s cloud connection . Wi-Fi connectivity and a mobile app also allows owners to monitor their pups via live updates , set a schedule , and manage food intake .
The roots of CleverPet can be directly traced back to Trottier and Knudsen ’ s graduate studies at UC San Diego . Though neither studied animal cognition specifically , Trottier ’ s cognitive science and Knudsen ’ s neuroscience education greatly influenced the research-based origins of CleverPet . “ Brains are way more similar than they are different from each other ,” Trottier explains . “ Emotions like anger and fear , those things are preserved across species . You look at the way learning works — that is preserved across species . If you look at the way social interaction works , certainly among other social animals , there ’ s a lot of commonality .”
Marrying technology and behavioral research proved to be a popular concept with the public , who gave the Triton duo their start . The potential of CleverPet was realized in spring 2014 with a crowdfunding campaign in which more than 1,000 backers helped raise $ 180,000 in funding , nearly double the original goal .
Leo Trottier , M . S . ’ 07 Co-founder of CleverPet
Dan Knudsen , Ph . D . ’ 13 Co-founder of CleverPet
54 TRITON | FALL 2016