A dog called Tai is learning to respond to commands in a unique way, via vibrations in his vest.
Tai was raised to be a guide dog for a blind person but failed the test because he was easily distracted and preferred sniffing things.
Now reinvented as a remote-controlled canine, he responds better to vibrating commands than vocal ones.
The system he is testing could be useful in situations where a dog is not in the line of sight of its owner.
That includes military dogs and those employed on search-and-rescue missions. The vest could also be a new way for disabled people to communicate with an assistance dog.
The system was developed at Ben-Gurion University (BGU) in Israel and relies on a modified canine vest which contains four small vibrating motors positioned over the dog's back and sides.
The dog is trained to respond to different vibrations sent via wireless remote control.
Source: BBC