The aim of this assignment was to apply or develop technology in order to simulate the experience of being visually impaired or deaf. This could only be achieved through first hand experience, as I was not designing for differently abled people, rather designing as a differently abled person- providing insight to the experience.

“Any time a cause springs from personal experience, that experience brings a greater passion and commitment to the cause” - P.K. Beville, In Their Shoes

Pooch is a system designed to help anxious dogs, born from my experience of being deaf which led to feelings of anxiousness and the crushing feeling that I was lacking effective communicative skills. 

My concept for Pooch aims to give a voice to the voiceless creatures that we love so dearly, and who many of suffer great anxiety. Separation anxiety alone is estimated to affect around 14 percent of dogs. 

Pooch is a wearable touch technology vest that provides deep touch pressure to wearers. 

The Pooch vest simulates the feeling of a hug through deep touch pressure which is known to calm, comfort and soothe the nerves of children and animals. The app, on signs of anxiousness controls the pressure programs to suit the needs of the dog. Additionally, Pooch app activates calming audios specific to the case. For example, in both human and animal studies, the levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) in the blood drops as a result of hearing classical music.

Built in sensors measure and automatically record heart rate and activity levels as well as behaviour through the use of camera footage in order to effectively identify behavioural trends and track your dog’s progress or eliminate specific stressors.

The Pooch vest utilises technology in order to achieve the desired results of deep touch pressure, which is essentially simulating a hug and can help improve the quality of life for dogs who face constant stress and anxiety or occasional anxiousness due to separation, loud noises, fire works and the like. Pooch vest improves the wearer’s attention and focus by helping to calm the wearer and regulate arousal levels. 

The heart rate and movement sensors as well as the two cameras carefully monitor the dog's behaviour. On the dog displaying symptoms indicating that their arousal levels are not falling within the optimal band, (such as a rapid heart rate increase in addition to sudden destructive behaviour), Pooch app will activate the technology to calm the wearer down. The vest uses adjustable air pressure compression that is controlled automatically via the Pooch app. At this point, mindfully selected audios will be sounded through the speakers within the vest collar. 

When the dog calms down after a bout of anxiousness, the Pooch app activates the feeder to release a treat. Additionally, the user can choose to release a treat at any point they wish.

Pooch's app interface is intuitive and simple to operate. The automatic pump, cameras and treat feeder are all controlled by the app.