Health monitoring systems are becoming increasingly popular not only among people, but also among their pets. Smart collars are being used to locate animals and provide valuable data on their health, including heart activity, temperature, and pain levels.
One such collar is the PETPACE biometric collar, originally created to monitor the health of dogs for disease detection. The creators of this collar believe it can be a valuable and integrated tool for various purposes. They are especially interested in the potential for data collected by the collars to improve short-term forecasts for earthquake detection.
Assaf Dagan, the Chief Scientist and co-founder of PetPace, mentioned in an interview with ABC News that animals often exhibit unusual behavior before natural disasters. Studies have shown that dogs, in particular, experience heightened stress and anxiety prior to earthquakes.
While there is still no definitive evidence that animals can predict earthquakes, there have been documented cases where the behavior of various animals, including ants, rats, and snakes, has foreshadowed seismic activity. Petpace, established in 2012, is currently conducting a study in the seismically active city of Lima, Peru, focusing on dogs. If the dogs in the study consistently display a specific reaction prior to earthquakes, algorithms could potentially detect patterns indicating an imminent earthquake.
When it comes to earthquakes, even a small advance warning can be crucial for preparations and saving lives. Developing effective earthquake forecasting systems based on animal behavior holds great promise in reducing risks for humanity.