A Parrot Using a Tablet

ACI2022 continued on December 7 with Paper Sessions. Number 1 was „Designing for Human-Animal Relations“. Clara Mancini from The Open University gave a talk on the topic „Politicising Animal-Computer Interaction: an Approach to Political Engagement with Animal-Centred Design“. She is one of the pioneers in the discipline of animal-computer interaction. This was followed by Dirk van der Linden’s presentation „Animal-centered design needs dignity: a critical essay on ACI’s core concept“. The scientist from the Northumbria University referred to the Swiss law, which assumes the dignity of living beings – animals as well as plants, it should be added. Minori Tsuji from Future University Hakodate spoke about the „Investigation on Enhancement of the Sense of Life in Safari Park Online Tours with Animal Breathing Reproduction System“. Visitors can touch artifacts with different breathing frequencies. The final contribution in the morning came from Jennifer Cunha (Parrot Kindergarten) and Corinne Renguette (Indiana University-Purdue University). It was about „A Framework for Training Animals to Use Touchscreen Devices for Discrimination Tasks“. The scientists taught various animals, such as a parrot, a rat, and a dog, how to use tablets. More information on the conference via www.aciconf.org.

Fig.: A little parrot on a hand