Research to inform development of interactive enrichment activities in zoos
Zoo animals could be given greater stimulus and lead more fulfilling lives following research that studied monkeys and their use of interactive systems.
The researchers from Glasgow University found that white-faced saki monkeys at Korkeasaari Zoo in Helsinki preferred to use their mouths, teeth and hands to pull switches and swing panels from side to side.
Their collaboration, which suggests that monkeys may have their own preferences for the design of buttons, could inform the development of interactive enrichment activities for zoo animals in the future.
The research, presented today (February 27, 2023) at the International Conference on Tangible Embedded and Embodied Interaction in Warsaw, is a joint project by animal-computer interaction specialists Vilma Kankaanpää and Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas.
In a statement, Dr Hirskyj-Douglas, of Glasgow University’s School of Computing Science, said: “Interactive digital systems have a lot of potential for enriching the lives of zoo animals by giving them new experiences and more control over their daily activities. However, it’s still a new field of research, and we have a lot to learn about how animals want to interact with computer systems.”
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