a selection of presentations on Designing Enriched Solutions for Animals from a OzCHI2017 workshop and the discussions and connections that ensued

1. Animal Computer Interaction (ACI) &
Designing for Animal Interaction
(AXD)
Ann Morrison
Digital Life Lab,
University of Southern
Queensland
ann.morrison@acm.org
Jane Turner
School of Design,
Queensland University of
Technology
j.turner@qut.edu.au
Sarah Webber
Interaction Design Lab,
University of Melbourne
s.webber@unimelb.edu.au

3. ACI is the main international conference on Animal-Computer
Interaction, a rapidly growing field that focuses on the interaction
between animals and computing-enabled technology.
Base Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
Atlanta, Georgia, USA, December 4-6, 2018
This year, the conference theme is connectedness and well-being.
Particularly welcome contributions that focus on the improvement
of human-animal relations or relations between other animals
Animal Computer Interaction (ACI)

4. Working dogs who care for people: FIDO project –working dogs,
using technology to pull or press artefacts that connect to language
alerts to communicate to people (Georgia Tech)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuD7s0X28_U

5. Dogs as
Carers
Animal Computer
Interaction
Conference
community
http://www.aci201
7.org

6. The rationale…
• Ann working a little with ACI community in UK and Europe
and loving working with addressing animal centered issues
(with technology and beyond). Arrived back here. What
happening in Australia?
• We are a small team looking to build an Australian chapter
of the Animal Computer Interaction Community.
• The OzCHI2017 workshop set up to elicit discussion, forge
new partnerships and head up a new group on the state of
the art within this field in Australia, including comparative
international studies.

7. Beginnings…
We found that Animal Computer Interaction (ACI) systems
have been mostly designed and evaluated driven by
human-centered approaches [1].
However, there is a growing body of research and need for
an animal-centered approach that would benefit both
humans and animals.
We envisage designing more usable interactive systems to
that begin with working from the intelligence of the
animal, in order to improve the quality of the overall
system and learnt outcomes
1. C. Mancini. 2011. Animal-computer Interaction: A Manifesto. interactions 18, 4: 69–73.
https://doi.org/10.1145/1978822.1978836

8. Presentations at the Workshop
1.Next Gen Animal Enrichment and Welfare: Using technology to
empower zoo animals – Jon Coe
2.The Future of Microchip-Automation for Australian Wildlife –
Julia Hoy and Peter Murray
3.Designing interactive technology for orangutans– Sarah
Webber
4.Behaviour and Translations with Dogs and People Project –
Ann Morrison
5.Pathways Project – Jane Turner

9. Agency and control

10. “The organism with the
greatest number of choices
has the greatest freedom.”
Jon Coe
Choice + Control
= Freedom

11. Animal Activated Shower
Columbus Zoo USA
Giving animals Control

12. Giving Animals Occupations

13. RFID & New Tech
Animal Controls Its Environment

14. Hidden Vale Wildlife Centre
www.hiddenvalewildlife.uq.edu.au
The Future of Microchip-Automation for
Australian Wildlife
Dr Julia Hoy
Research Manager
Hidden Vale Wildlife Centre
2007 2017 2027

15. Hidden Vale Wildlife Centre
www.hiddenvalewildlife.uq.edu.au
Wild-caught bandicoot using microchip burrow
in conjunction with predator avoidance training

16. Hidden Vale Wildlife Centre
www.hiddenvalewildlife.uq.edu.au
So what is the future of microchip-automation
for Australian wildlife?
• Microchip-automated technology can provide captive wildlife with an
extensive and unpredictable variety of food, enrichment and
access to space on an individual animal basis, to more accurately
replicate aspects of the natural environment.
= potentially improved welfare of captive wildlife.
• There is also potential to utilise microchip-automation as a tool in
wildlife soft-release programs by facilitating individual animal
access to resources (e.g. food, refuge from predators) while also
allowing ongoing monitoring of released animals.
= potentially improved conservation outcomes.

17. Enrichment

22. Shared Worlds

23. Dogs and People (DAP): Translating Behaviours,
working with Sentient Beings

25. Small study with Social Media Survey
of how folk manage their dogs’
behaviour. Please contact if
interested-- ann.morrison@acm.org

26. Slow Cities & Sentient Companions
• Starts in the personal – dog as
companion, structure, meaning and
intergenerational community ….
• Awareness of the importance of pet
ownership for older people where a
companion animal (particularly a
dog) supports mental and physical
health and well-being.
• Recognition that dog ownership
increases social connectedness
within local communities.

27. Community Mapping - Mobilization
• Using smart technologies to map
and annotate walks … to stay in
touch with other walkers.
• Engaging in participatory design to
facilitate slowness and place-
making – pauses in walks, sharing,
remarking on possibilities ….
• Design to facilitate action – better
crossings, access to public
transport, shady pauses ...
• Design to foster cohesive
communities and active support
networks ...

28. Support networks with companion animals
• Sustainable slow cities need
networks of support that emerge
from grass roots
• Place-making with animals

29. The connections
• Main discussions were on recognizing connections in our
attitudes to how animals lives can be enriched through
respect for their intelligence and better understanding of
their needs and making their lives safer and enriching their
environments
• We STILL are a small team looking to build an Australian
chapter of the Animal Computer Interaction Community
addressing issues, challenges and delights we find here in
this environment.

30. The environments – Common themes
• All concerned with enrichment – life and being for human
and other beings
• All concerned with ways we occupy (and make) places for
human and other beings
• All concerned with ways we understand meaning for human
and other beings
• All working on how to respect needs and how to understand
what they are

31. The next steps…
• Started a local group—Animals and Humans, Design for Animals and
Human, Digital solutions for Animals and Humans…
http://www.ozaci.org/ (all welcome!)
• Held an online symposium panel, July 2018 for USQ Research Week
• Another workshop where we discuss more reciprocal communication
for OzCHI 2018, Dec 4th, Univ of Melbourne
• Larger look at smart cities and sentient populations beyond human
• Pathways and Paws project growing larger group and applying for
funding (Jane)
• Potential Collaboration with Healesville Sanctuary (Jon and Ann)
• Small study with Social Media Survey of how manage animal behaviour
(Ann—please contact if want to be involved-- ann.morrison@acm.org