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Singapore (pte039/24.05.2005/15:17) - Imagine you're a long way from home and you miss your pet chicken. Before you left, you dressed your chicken in a special sensitised jacket and packed the touch-sensitive doll that connects you to her. When you feel lonely, you switch on your portable system that hooks you up to the animal via the Internet. And the two of you can 'feel' each other.
Dr Adrian David Cheok, Director of the Mixed Reality Lab in Singapore http://mixedreality.nus.edu.sg and his assistant Lee Shang have developed a way of nurturing human-animal contact using the Internet and cyberspace, dubbing it 'augmented reality'. Cheok has combined virtual reality with augmented reality to produce what he calls 'mixed reality'.
The project, which has been underway for the last two years, uses Internet technology, advanced 3D live capturing computer vision, augmented reality, sensors, haptics, cybernetics and, Dr. Cheok says, 'most importantly, humanity'. The research has been published in the scientific journal 'Personal and Ubiquitous Computing'.
These physical and visual Internet experiences are made possible with the aid of goggles, a doll that 'feels' and moves as the chicken itself does, and even a special shoe that allows sensory perceptions of the chicken's movement through electric signals. Touching the doll sends waves to the chicken through the jacket. The doll also moves by way of a mechanical system. The goggles allow you to see a 3D image of the animal on a screen.
Why chickens? Dr Cheok says that the project aims to "promote the welfare of our maltreated poultry friends".
"Poultry are one of the most badly treated domestic animals," says Cheok. "They are raised solely for meat and eggs despite the fact that they have high levels of both cognition and feelings." Studies have shown that chickens enjoy regular touch and are more productive if they are stroked regularly.
Further development of the mixed reality idea could lead to travelling mothers being able to stroke their children whilst sleeping, or even real-touch cyber sex. However, the researchers don't advocate the use of their idea for the purpose of sex.
The Mixed Reality Lab is a research centre in the National University of Singapore. It works on research covering mixed reality, human-computer interaction, wearable computers and smart spaces, fuzzy systems, embedded systems, human power electronics, and multi-modal recognition.
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