Human-Animal Communication

Abstract

Chapter 2 pauses the book’s consideration of robots to explore human-animal communication, since nonhuman animals are an important part of many peoples lives, acting for some not only as companions, but also as co-workers. Human-animal communication is described in various, often idealised, ways in fiction, but in real-life situations an analysis of human-dog communication demonstrates the importance of attending to the smallest of nonverbal signs over periods of dynamic communication. This chapter highlights the possibilities for humans and animals, in particular dogs, to work together in teams, employing their specific skills to allow the team to perform tasks that neither human nor dog could complete alone. At the end of the chapter is a brief appraisal of the design and development of animal-like robots.