New Orbit Magazine Issue 08; Feb 2020, The Future of Animals

This press release likens the use of a cowfriendly
virtual reality world to the rotating
brushes that some dairy farmers install for
cow enrichment (as cows love to scratch
themselves), or sound equipment used to
broadcast classical music – according to the
ministry, “the relaxing effect of which
positively affects milk output”. The idea is
that during winter, when cows are cold,
usually indoors, and their milk yields suffer
as a result, the virtual world they’d be
plugged into would trick them into
believing they are in warm, summer
pastures – with the aim of stimulating the
same milk output as they would under
those conditions.
Bizarre as it sounds, this prototype is real,
and the product of hundreds of hours of
research and development by a
combination of dairy farmers, engineers
and veterinarians, in an attempt to create
the best possible VR experience. The
housing of the technology was specially
designed for the shape and size of the
bovine head, as well as durable enough to
withstand winter weather farm conditions.
The visuals inside the headset focus on
warm, reddish hues, which, seeing as cattle
are more able to see and identify this part
of the spectrum than humans, better
represent their outdoor summer months
than the green pastures and the blue skies
that we might focus on ourselves.
According to the experts, the prototype was
something of a success. They're yet to
report the impact on milk yields (which is
being recorded in a comprehensive further
study), but can report a drop in anxiety
among the herd, as well as a marked
increase in their happiness and mood.