Urban search and rescue with canine augmentation technology

The agility, sense of smell, hearing and speed of dogs is put to good use by dedicated canine teams involved in Search and Rescue operations. Perhaps the weakest link in the human-dog team is the human. In comparison to dogs, humans hear less, cannot effectively follow a scent and actually slow the dog down when involved in area searches. To mitigate this problem the Network-Centric Applied Research Team has been working with the Ontario Provincial Police to augment SAR dogs with a suite of supporting technologies to extend the dog's potential area of operation and allow a greater distance between dog and handler. Through Canine Augmentation Technology we hope to allow canine handlers to see what the dog sees, hear what the dog hears, know where the dog is and be able to communicate with the dog at extended distances. © 2006 IEEE.