[Parlay44]

These Virtual Reality Headsets Make Farmed Chickens Believe They Roam Free
Read more at http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-ani...cgKGoCz.99




“Who wants a virtual reality headset?” “Cluck cluck.” “… I’ll take that as a resounding yes.”

In recent years, people have started to take animal welfare very seriously and slowly we are starting to see a change in the way that animals are treated. But what first springs to mind as a feasible idea to improve the lives of animals destined for human consumption? Bigger roaming areas? Free range? The Matrix? Wait… What?

An assistant professor in design at Iowa State University, Austin Stewart, has released ideas for a project named “Second Livestock” which involves tricking chickens into thinking that they are free range, while they are actually contained within small enclosures. This would be achieved by strapping virtual reality headsets onto farmed chickens (stop laughing). These “Cockulus Rift” headsets would therefore make the chickens believe that they are in a nicer, less stressful environment (really, try to stop laughing).




Is this a big joke? Well, kind of, but not necessarily a futile one. Stewart created this project in order to spur people into talking about animal welfare, and also as a kind of experiment to look at our relationship with technology, and of course to see how many people would actually believe that researchers intend on doing this. That being said, he told Techcrunch that he would be willing to work with anyone who is willing to offer their services to make it happen.

“In my presentations I try to present the project with an earnestness that makes the audience question whether or not it’s real,” Stewart told journalist Liz Dwyer. “Most people are on the ‘this is fake’ side of the fence until I announce that they will be able to try out the technology behind Second Livestock in a few minutes. It is pretty great to watch the faces of the audience at this moment.”

So- any takers?

[TheFinalEpic]

This would be at a ridiculous cost, most farms have tens of thousands of those birds, ethics go out the window when you're trying to feed a country. Its sad how they're brought up, but its necessary when you think about it.

That being said, I had a great laugh looking at Neo the Chicken

[Parlay44]

You eat the blue corn and you wake up in your pen and believe whatever you want to believe

[TheFinalEpic]

(05-21-2014 01:46 PM)Parlay44 Wrote:  

You eat the blue corn and you wake up in your pen and believe whatever you want to believe

Eat the red, you get a trench coat and can dodge bullets. Not sure about your ability to avoid axes to the neck though.

[Handsome Creepy Eel]

I am stealing the term "Cockulus Rift" for my personal use

[soup]

I hope to be making a cockulus rift soon.

[Veloce]

Something like this made the news a couple years ago:

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012...arming?p=4

[Dr. Howard]

wouldn't it be cheaper to just hot box the chicken coop? I mean if the intent is to make them pleasantly oblivious to their situation...