Digital Technology Supporting the Remote Human-Dog Interaction: Scoping Review

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Due to the close affective and collaborative relationship between dogs and humans, in several situations there is a need to maintain communication when it is not possible to do it face to face. The objective of this review is to analyze the main aspects of current technologies that support remote communication between dogs and humans. Fifteen articles were selected which were conscientiously analyzed. The most widely used technologies to allow dogs to generate messages are wearable devices equipped with sensors. The most used technologies for dogs to receive messages are wearable devices equipped with vibrotactile actuators. Most of the proposals developed only include one-way communication, and those that include bidirectional communication uses videochats. All reported evaluations were pilot studies with positive feasibility results. The use of technology to support remote human-dog interaction is generating a lot of anticipation and excitement. However, there is still a long way to go in terms of technological developments, integration into the activities and context of dogs, support for new modalities of dog interaction, adaptation of technology to the canine traits and the determination of its efficacy. ABSTRACT: For thousands of years, dogs have coexisted with humans and have been adopted as companion pets and working animals. The communication between humans and dogs has improved their coexistence and socialization; however, due to the nature of their activities, dogs and humans occasionally lose face-to-face contact. The purpose of this scoping review is to examine five essential aspects of current technology designed to support intentional communication between humans and dogs in scenarios where there is no face-to-face contact: (1) the technologies used, (2) the activity supported, (3) the interaction modality, (4) the evaluation procedures, and the results obtained, and (5) the main limitations. In addition, this article explores future directions for research and practice. The PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines were followed when conducting the review. Scopus (Elsevier), Springer-Link, IEEE Xplorer, ACM Digital Library, and Science Direct were used as data sources to retrieve information from January 2010 to March 2022. The titles and abstracts were individually reviewed by the authors (L.R.-V., I.E.E.-C., and H.P.-E.), and the full articles were then examined before a final inclusion determination. 15 (3%) out of the 571 records that were obtained met the requirements for inclusion. The most used technologies for dogs are: (1) 71% of technologies focused on generating messages are wearable devices equipped with sensors (bite, tug, or gesture), (2) 60% of technologies focused on receiving messages are wearable devices equipped with vibrotactile actuators, and (3) 100% of technologies focused on bidirectional communication are videochats. 67% of the works are oriented to support search and assistance tasks. 80% of the works developed technology for one-way communication. 53% of the technologies have a haptic dog interaction modality, that is, there is an object that the dog must wear or manipulate in a certain way. All of the reported evaluations were pilot studies with positive feasibility results. Remote human-dog interaction technology holds significant promise and potential; however, more research is required to assess their usability and efficacy and to incorporate new technological developments.