There now exists an app perfect for dog owners who want to have the quickest way of finding their dogs if it ever gets lost - "Finding Rover." Finding Rover is a smartphone app which allows people to search for lost dogs through facial recognition.
Owners need to upload a front-facing picture of their dogs in the database of the application. Then, in the unfortunate event that a dog has gone missing or when someone finds a dog, they can search for the dog's information via the app, making it easier to locate or return the dog.
John Polimeno, the man behind the app, was inspired to start it because he saw a poster for a lost dog that reminded him of his own experience of losing a dog that left his family devastated.
Because dogs have fur, regular facial recognition technology does not work, so Polimeno searched for people he could fund to do the research to break the facial recognition that could factor in the furry features of the animals. The Software Development Center at the University of Utah agreed to work on the project with him.
Now, Polimeno is on a bus tour to help promote the app to different animal shelters and locals.
"Finding Rover will revolutionize how we return lost dogs to their owners. We really encourage every dog owner to upload a photo of their dog to this free app," said Bob Gatt, manager of the Oakland County Animal Control Division (OCACD), Digital Trends reports.
Here is a video that further shows how the app works:
Finding Rover is now available in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and Australia, with more countries to come. A version for cats is also in the works.
The app is available in iOS and its Android and a web version will be available in the coming months, CNet reports.
