FUTUREFAUNA: Reshaping the FUTURE of animal computer interaction through a Framework for Animal User Needs and Agency

Descrizione del progetto

Tecnologia intelligente progettata per gli animali

La qualità della vita degli animali può essere migliorata in modo significativo grazie alla tecnologia intelligente che consente agli animali di avere un maggiore controllo sull’ambiente circostante. In questo caso, le interfacce informatiche dovrebbero essere progettate tenendo conto degli animali. Ad esempio, i display touchscreen tradizionali non funzionano con zampe e becchi. Il progetto FUTUREFAUNA, finanziato dal CER, mira a sviluppare e adattare le tecnologie per gli animali sulla base di prove empiriche. L’obiettivo è trasformare il modo in cui gli animali controllano il loro ambiente e migliorare il loro benessere attraverso nuove connessioni sociali. Sarà possibile comprendere meglio il loro processo decisionale, la risoluzione dei problemi e le interazioni sociali se si forniscono loro strumenti adeguati. Questo approccio migliora la ricerca tradizionale sul comportamento animale, aprendo nuove strade all’utilizzo delle tecnologie informatiche per studiare l’intelligenza e le strutture sociali degli animali.

Obiettivo

Technology can enhance animal welfare by allowing animals greater control over their environment and choice over their social connections. Current animal-computer interfaces are often repurposed from human technology, neglecting animals' diverse physical capabilities, sensory perceptions, and cognitive processes. For instance, touch screens suited to human fingers pose challenges for animals with paws, beaks, or unique appendages, while human-based cognitive models underlying these interfaces potentially misinterpret or overlook critical aspects of animal cognition and behaviour. This disconnect between technology and animal users hinders effective interaction and constrains our capacity to gain accurate insights into animal minds.

To address this challenge, FUTUREFAUNA's ultimate goal is to draw from empirical evidence to develop a comprehensive framework for designing, implementing and adapting technologies for animal users. The ambition is to fundamentally reshape how animals implement control over their environment and provide radically different opportunities for social connections to improve their well-being. This level of agency will allow us new ways to observe how animals make choices, solve problems, and navigate social situations when given tools that match their abilities. FUTUREFAUNA framework extends classic animal behaviour studies by offering new insights and scalable, documented approach.

In the long term, FUTUREFAUNA will open up a new frontier to expand the use of information technology. It tests the foundations of human-computer interaction by looking at new ways to understand users and creating entirely new avenues for studying animal intelligence and social structures. By providing animals with more nuanced and species-appropriate ways to interact with their environment and each other, researchers will be able to explore questions about animal consciousness, emotional intelligence, and cognitive flexibility that were previously out of reach.