Beyond Human Senses and Aesthetics

ACI2022 – the leading conference on animal-computer interaction – kicked off on December 5, 2022 at Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne. After the workshop „Animal Centered Research beyond ACI: Exploring the Applicability of Animal Centered Principles to All Animal Research“ was held on the first day, the workshop „Exploring other sensibilities – beyond human senses and aesthetics“ was held on the second day. „This workshop aims to facilitate human participants to become more aware of other animals‘ sensory and aesthetic sensibilities, raising points for discussion and future research within ACI. For all animals, being able to make sense of the environment is crucial in order to gain control and make informed choices, as well as to achieve competence in daily activities. Although human perception is limited by evolution, technology can enable us to perceive signals that may be meaningful for other species, thereby gaining insight and possibly empathy. Moreover, pursuing a multi-species perspective may foster inclusive approaches to design that aim to achieve a lighter environmental impact by taking into account the sensory experiences of other species.“ (Website ACI2022) The workshop used innovative methods to achieve the goal. „We will offer participants a range of activities to challenge human senses and sense-making abilities, and then invite them to collaboratively design and test a system that incorporates some animal-centred sensory stimulation inspired by the activities previously undertaken.“ (Website ACI2022) The participants mastered the tasks with great commitment and great pleasure. The entire conference program is available at www.aciconf.org/conference-program.

Fig.: Exploring other sensibilities