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This adorable experiment created a real-life Dug the Dog from 'Up'

"Treat. Treat. I want the treat."
 By 
Marcus Gilmer
 on 
This adorable experiment created a real-life Dug the Dog from 'Up'
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We all remember Dug the Dog, the adorably goofy pup from Pixar's Up who was able to communicate his thoughts and feelings thanks to some nifty technology.

Well, now we're one step closer to such technology being real, thanks to some students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The team explains in the above video how they built the interface, which reads the neural responses of Alma, an adorable golden retriever. They're then translated and deliver a pre-recorded vocal response.

How accurate is the device? That's debatable, to say the least. There's a mountain of research and debate about how dogs "think" that's yet to be settled. Still, it's a neat -- and extremely cute -- experiment.

Topics Animals

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Marcus Gilmer

Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.


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