Want To Talk To Dolphins? There's An App For That...

Last week, as the iPad made its international debut in countries all around the world, the ultra-cool device gained one unexpected fan slightly closer to home, in Puerto Aventuras, Mexico. Merlin the Dolphin became the first of his kind to join in on the iPad-hype that has been sweeping the globe. Research scientist, Jack Kassewitz of SpeakDolphin.com, introduced Apple’s touch screen device to his aquatic friend at Dolphin Discovery, Mexico, in the hope of taking the first steps towards building a successful Dolphin-Human language interface.

The use of the iPad is part of our continuing search to find a suitable touch screen technology which the dolphins can activate with the tip of their rostrums or beaks. After extensive searching and product review, it looks like our choice is between the Panasonic Toughbook and the Apple iPad.

Kassewitz went on to explain the requirements of the technology.

Waterproofing, processor speed, touch sensitivity, anti-glare screens, and dolphin-friendly programs are essential.

At the moment researchers at the centre are showing Merlin a series of objects on the iPad screen, and are asking him to touch the same ones - which he’s doing successfully. “This is an easy task for a dolphin”, said Kassewitz, “but it is a necessary building block towards our goal of a complete language interface between humans and dolphins”. Well, there you go. Dolphins are undoubtedly clever creatures. And until they soar into the sky all singing and dancing as Douglas Adams predicted, at least we’ve provided something decent to entertain them with. And fish, of course. We can’t forget that.

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