Russian Cows Wear VR Goggles To Increase Milk Production, And It Actually Works Too
Farmers in Moscow are strapping a modified VR headset on to cows to help improve their mood that would in-turn aid better production of milk. The images helped the cows feel less anxious as well as elevated the way they felt. While there isnt a straight link to increased milk production yet the basic idea is a happy cow equals more milk.
Virtual reality is a fun way to take a break from what's real into a world of immense imagination, and now researchers want animals to experience this bliss too -- specifically, cows.
Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Moscow Region
Farmers in Moscow are strapping a slightly modified VR headset on to cows to help improve their mood that would in-turn aid better production of milk. The VR headset constantly displays images of grasslands, pleasant landscapes as opposed to the milking facility with steel everywhere.
The headset has been designed specifically to be a comfortable fit for the cows. The displays are aligned perfectly with their eyes to deliver a realistic viewing experience. Even the screen colours and brightness are adjusted to a cow's vision.
And in case you were wondering whether this simulated-experience worked -- it did! The images helped the cows feel less anxious as well as elevated the way they felt. While there isn't a straight link to increased milk production yet, the basic idea is a happy cow equals more milk. They're planning to conduct a more comprehensive study to get a definitive answer to this question.
Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Moscow Region
There are some questions in the minds of researchers that are a little bit concerning. For starters, what happens to the cow once you put her in the state of bliss only to remove the headset later and show the dark reality. How would that affect the mental state of the animal and won't it have an even more negative outcome? Also, VR headsets are known to be notoriously power and graphic intensive. How long would the batteries last?
One might also find this really dark -- the way one's treating cows to generate better milk production it surely is. But think about it this way, without the VR headset cows are still dreading with anxiety and stress, among other issues. If through technology, they are able to get some moments of happiness in a day while also helping its owner, isn't that something?
