Much has been said about the touchscreen interface being a natural, almost instinctive way of interacting with personal computing devices. It’s so easy that even a kitten can use it – and they do.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltJzAndNyLo[/youtube]
Because the internet was created for cat videos.
From marketing pet food to scientific research, scientists and their programming counterparts have begun using tablets and touch-sensitive screens to entertain and educate ourselves about our furry friends. Here are some interesting ways technology is changing how we work with animals:
Animals using tablets
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPynuuTMKTo[/youtube]
From the tons of animal-related tablet or smartphone videos on Youtube, you can probably tell that our pets are drawn to touchscreen technologies. Maybe it’s the lights or the bright colours, but find me any cat that walks by and ignores an open laptop. Though, I’m not sure why anyone would let an elephant play with a Samsung Galaxy Note…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBrmaE82uY4[/youtube]
Marketing pet food
Taken from http://www.adweek.com/
American cat food brand Friskies has already capitalised on this phenomenon, releasing a total of six games on the iOS and Android platforms built with the Corona SDK, primarily targeted at cats. Because touchscreen tablet screens are made from glass, they stand up easily to tiny claws. Or so they insist.
The latest game released is called You vs. Cat, an app that pits humans against their felines by measuring reaction time and accuracy. And according to their realtime world leaderboard, the cats are winning. Clearly, cats were meant to rule the world.
Taken from http://crushable.com/
Scientific research and study
According to the BBC, a primate study centre in Hampshire is teaching its endangered monkeys to use touch screen computers. The report states that “the Sulawesi crested macaques will take part in a study at Marwell Wildlife to help scientists understand their memory, communication and emotions.”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hItRjBrFAY[/youtube]
Baby Sulawesi crested macaque Wira.
At Edinburgh Zoo, chimpanzee handlers are training the animals to effectively use a touch screen to make choices. Check out how they help mother chimp Cindy out by adapting the UI so she can more accurately select the options onscreen.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxc24TqR1u4[/youtube]
Monkeys aren’t the only ones using touchscreens though – rodents in labs at the University of Cambridge use them as well by viewing a display on the computer screen, making a choice on the screen by responding directly to the touch-sensitive screen via a nose-poke.
Finally, here’s a frog trying to eat animated flies off a screen, just for kicks.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hm3KtBmlpY[/youtube]
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