Compassion in
FIDO
Dr. Melody Jackson discusses the possibilities of the FIDO project in the TEDx talk. FIDO aims towards helping people with disabilities navigate their everyday lives. It focuses on teaching dogs how to use wearable technology vests in order to alert their owners or others about emergency situations. Dogs are well-suited for this kind of experiment because they are some of the most compassionate animals; they desire to help others. When they see their owners in trouble, they will do anything that they can to help. Epilepsy dogs are specially trained to detect seizures before they happen. With the technical advancements of the vest, the dogs are even better equipped to help their owners when they detect they are about to have a seizure.
But the compassion is not just one-sided. The people that are in charge of training the dogs care deeply about the dogs and how they are doing. They care about the training of the dogs and their well-being. This is reflected in the positive reinforcement training. Melody Jackson brings out one of the dogs in training and its trainer. After the dog performs a specific task correctly, the owner rewards the dog with a treat. Such positive reinforcement encourages the dogs to continue such action because dogs are inherently followers and they seek the approval of their leader.
Although the FIDO project could be considered animal testing, the compassion shown towards the dogs and conversely, the humans, is undeniable. The researchers involved in FIDO have done countless tests with both the dogs and the wearable technology in order to perfect it for those who are in need. Compassion is a crucial part of this process. A lack of compassion shown towards the dogs would product unsuccessful results.
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