From abstract: From the paper: Perhaps because they use their tongues: ... Only experienced birds allowed in the study:
From abstract:
[W]e conducted a study with 20 pet parrots, examining their tactile interactions with touchscreens and evaluating the applicability of existing HCI interaction models. Our research highlights key ergonomic characteristics unique to parrots, which include pronounced multi-tap behavior, a critical size threshold for touch targets, and greater effectiveness of larger targets over closer proximity. Based on these insights, we propose guidelines for tablet-based enrichment systems for companion parrots.
From the paper:
Our results suggest that birds interact with tablet screens differently than humans, exhibiting lighter touch pressure, more drag, higher rates of multi-tapping, and lower hit rates. Additionally, successful hit rates are not significantly impacted by target distance but instead by target size, with parrots requiring a minimum threshold of approximately 100pd/26mm. This target size is a more important predictor of touch success than a target’s location on the screen or the distance between subsequent targets.
Perhaps because they use their tongues:
When engaging with technological interfaces, parrots have been shown to use both their beaks and their feet, but more often rely on their tongues to trigger touchscreens. Parrots exhibit very fine dexterity with their tongues. As primary seed and nut eaters, they possess thick and muscular tongues that allow for both strength and fine dexterity, more similar to mammals than other birds. In many species, a wrinkled and folded tongue epithelium confers added flexibility and
stretchability to the tongue.
...
[M]ost parrots appear to “multi-tap” when touching the screen, meaning they tap the screen multiple times very quickly
at roughly the same spot.
Only experienced birds allowed in the study:
To obtain representative data on adult healthy birds, each parrot was required to be over one year old and to have no known behavioral or health issues. To facilitate the introduction of the study tool, birds had to be comfortable with looking at screens, touching objects, and have prior experience with balloon-pop-types games.
This definitely belongs in our Friday offbeat news post. That said, it is neat that some people are looking into bettering technology for non-human animals. I think I've seen other primates using...
This definitely belongs in our Friday offbeat news post.
That said, it is neat that some people are looking into bettering technology for non-human animals. I think I've seen other primates using touchscreens for communicating with handlers and researchers, but didn't know touchscreens were also in use for birds. Maybe one day they'll actually be playing Angry Birds.
Bird intelligence is a big research subject these days. I read Alex and Me by the researcher who first achieved recognition that birds are smart. It's an interesting book but a little dry.
Bird intelligence is a big research subject these days. I read Alex and Me by the researcher who first achieved recognition that birds are smart. It's an interesting book but a little dry.
That title is bonkers. The whole thing is interesting, but for some reason things like this make me wonder what the reaction to such a title would have been 20 years ago.
That title is bonkers. The whole thing is interesting, but for some reason things like this make me wonder what the reaction to such a title would have been 20 years ago.
From abstract:
From the paper:
Perhaps because they use their tongues:
...
Only experienced birds allowed in the study:
This definitely belongs in our Friday offbeat news post.
That said, it is neat that some people are looking into bettering technology for non-human animals. I think I've seen other primates using touchscreens for communicating with handlers and researchers, but didn't know touchscreens were also in use for birds. Maybe one day they'll actually be playing Angry Birds.
Bird intelligence is a big research subject these days. I read Alex and Me by the researcher who first achieved recognition that birds are smart. It's an interesting book but a little dry.
That title is bonkers. The whole thing is interesting, but for some reason things like this make me wonder what the reaction to such a title would have been 20 years ago.