Dog owners will be able to better understand their pets after the maker of a computerized gadget that interprets the warp and woof of a dog's life for its owner will be marketed next June, a spokesman for the device's maker said yesterday.
Bowlingual, first unveiled in August last year by major toymaker Takara Co Ltd, was a smash hit when it went on sale in Japan in late September, the company said.
Domestic sales have topped 30,000, with the company aiming for 300,000 by next March, while overseas interest has gone barking mad. The gadget comprises an 8cm microphone attached to a dog collar, and transmits sounds to a palm-sized console held by the dog's master.
The console, equipped with a small display, immediately classifies the sounds into six emotional categories: frustration, menace, joy, sorrow, demand, and self-expression.
Then the display shows phrases that fit the emotional state of the dog, such as "I am sad. I want to play," and "I am super angry. I am going to explode!"
Time magazine has dubbed the device one of the best inventions of 2002, while the US-based science humor magazine Annals of Improbable Research awarded Bowlingual its 2002 Ig Nobel Peace Prize for promoting harmony between the species.
"Since we began selling the product in Japan, we have received a lot of inquiries from overseas," said Takara spokesman Seiichi Kodama. "Our product has become a hot topic abroad and our name recognition has been high."
Takara will release the product in South Korea next June.
STRONG INTEREST: Analysts have pointed to optimism in TSMC’s growth prospects in the artificial intelligence era as the cause of the rising number of shareholders The number of people holding shares of chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) hit a new high last week despite a decline in its stock price, the Taiwan Depository and Clearing Corp (TDCC, 台灣集保) said. The number of TSMC shareholders rose to 2.46 million as of Friday, up 75,536 from a week earlier, TDCC data showed. The stock price fell 1.34 percent during the same week to close at NT$1,840 (US$57.55). The decline in TSMC’s share price resulted from volatility in global tech stocks, driven by rising international crude oil prices as the war against Iran continues. Dealers said
PRICE HIKES: The war in the Middle East would not significantly disrupt supply in the short term, but semiconductor companies are facing price surges for materials Taiwan’s semiconductor companies are not facing imminent supply disruptions of essential chemicals or raw materials due to the war in the Middle East, but surges in material costs loom large, industry association SEMI Taiwan said yesterday. The association’s comments came amid growing concerns that supplies of helium and other key raw materials used in semiconductor production could become a choke point after Qatar shut down its liquefied natural gas (LNG) production and helium output earlier this month due to the conflict. Qatar is the second-largest LNG supplier in the world and accounts for about 33 percent of global helium output. Helium is
Taiwan’s natural gas supply remains stable through the end of May, despite rising concerns about potential disruptions to Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies due to escalating conflicts in the Middle East, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. The ministry in a statement said that Taiwan has completed preparations for natural gas supply and shipping schedules through the end of May. It has also made plans to increase natural gas imports from regions outside the Middle East in June to ensure a stable supply, it added. Taiwan sources natural gas from 14 countries and is not solely dependent on the Middle East,
China is clamping down on fertilizer exports to protect its domestic market, industry sources said, putting an additional strain on global markets that were already grappling with shortages caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran. China is among the largest fertilizer exporters — shipping more than US$13 billion of it last year — and it has a history of controlling exports to keep prices low for farmers. Shipments through the war-blocked Strait of Hormuz account for about one-third of the sea-borne supply. This month, Beijing banned exports of nitrogen-potassium fertilizer blends and certain phosphate varieties, sources said. The ban, which has not
RSS