If your pets could speak, what would they tell you? Experts at the animal-computer interaction lab at the Open University (OU) are close to finding out. There, animal behaviour specialists work with designers to create the kind of technology that helps animals communicate and work alongside humans more naturally – to raise the alarm if an owner falls ill, put a wash on, or switch out the lights for an owner who has a disability.
“If you give animals more of a voice, they can make themselves better understood. It’s as though they can talk back to us – and this can be very valuable,” says Clara Mancini, a communication and design expert who founded the lab back in 2011. “We are researching with them, allowing animals to participate in the design process.”
This is a niche area of an already niche field – but dozens of master’s at UK universities relate to animal behaviour in some form; some research-led, some practical.
Working closely with charities, the OU’s lab has collaborated with the likes of Dogs for Good and Medical Detection Dogs. Traditionally, medical detection dogs trained to sniff out cancerous cells have learned to sit down in front of positive samples. But for a dog, this is an unnatural response to an exciting smell, says Mancini, and limits what they can reveal. Her team have created a sort of sniffing platform with pressure pads that measures a dog’s spontaneous response to an odour. Mancini hopes this will allow scientists to detect more nuances in a dog’s reaction, revealing more about the stage or concentration of the cancer, for example. Other projects include designing an alarm – in the shape of a sausage, no less – that an assistance dog could pull if a diabetic owner suffers a hypoglycaemic attack. Researchers have also designed large snout-friendly buttons for assistance dogs in the home.
While the OU’s lab is unique in the UK, the University of Stirling is also offering a master’s in human animal interaction. Many taught courses, such as a new master’s in animal behaviour at the University of St Andrews, aim to act as a springboard into a research career.
Students at Exeter’s MSc in animal behaviour spend a week on Lundy Island observing abundant wildlife, including puffins, guillemots, razorbills and kittiwakes, not to mention the island’s rare breed Soay sheep, says programme director Dr Lisa Leaver, an animal behaviour expert with a background in psychology who founded the course in 2003. “Most of our graduates go on to do PhDs,” she says.
“Some work in science education departments in zoos, or go on to teach, or work with conservation charities.” A research apprenticeship forms a significant part of the course, she says, with subjects as varied as social structure of killer whale groups to male signalling of fiddler crabs on Portuguese beaches.
Understanding animals better has wider moral implications, Mancini believes. “We tend only to listen to our own voice and that’s dangerous. We have forgotten we are part of something bigger – and if we don’t adjust our perspective, we are eventually going to destroy the planet.”
Experience: ‘I measure the bond between animals and humans’
Lauren Samet, 33, is about to complete her PhD in animal welfare and nutrition. Interview by Helena Pozniak
I still pinch myself that I’m here. I’ve always loved animals and wanted to help make a positive change. I’m the first person in my family to go to university. After I graduated in biological sciences from the University of East Anglia, I applied to all the big animal charities – to zoos and to conservation organisations. But animal welfare is so competitive, you need a specialist qualification.
I saved up to take an MSc in animal welfare at Northampton University. It was right up my street, I loved the research element. My supervisor gave me confidence and encouragement to take on a PhD – I never even thought I’d do a master’s, let alone research. During my PhD I’ve worked part-time as a nutritionist for Marwell Zoo for a year on maternity leave cover, which was an amazing experience as those jobs are like gold dust. I’ve also worked as a pet nutritionist in Yorkshire and lectured on an animal science degree.
My research looks at anxiety in dogs and whether herbal supplements actually do have a calming effect. I joined the research team of the Dogs Trust in spring. This is the kind of work I wanted when I first graduated, but I now realise I needed to take the research route to get here. When we are collecting data, we work directly with dogs. Our team is running a groundbreaking longitudinal study looking at dog health, welfare and behaviour. I’m working to develop a tool that measures the bond between humans and animals.
At this level you can carry out research that’s needed to support positive policy changes, as well as having an impact on the welfare of thousands of animals. This is my dream job.
