A South Korean company has created an AI-based app that scans your dog’s unique nose print (or cat's face) and places it into a database that anyone can access to identify the owner of a lost dog. That's way better than hauling a lost pet off to the vet to have its microchip scanned.
It turns out a dog’s nose prints are just as individual as a human’s fingerprint. Collar tags and microchips can be ways for good samaritans to help reunite lost animals with their owners, but tags and collars can fall off, while microchips are not immediately accessible from home.
The team at Yonsei University has honed their AI to a 99 percent accuracy, which they’ve now released for free through the Petnow app. Think of it as a biometric ID for your pet - and potential salvation for distraught owners.
How does it work? Pet owners register their dog’s nose print by taking a picture with their smartphone. Cat owners are in luck too, because the algorithm can ID cats by their whole face rather than just a nose. Once the image is captured, it’s stored in Petnow’s database. Anyone, including those who may come across a lost animal, can take a picture of its nose or face and see if it matches with one on the app - providing an instant set of contact info for the owner.
With a crowdsourced database as the foundation of the idea, Petnow’s team needs as many people as possible to use the app, and for shelters, vet clinics, and other pet businesses to get the word out. So, please share this article.
Here's an explanatory video...