Sixth International Conference on Animal-Computer Interaction
12-14 November, Haifa, Israel

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TUESDAY 12 November - WORKSHOP

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Animals and the (Playable) City: a Critical Perspective

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Organizers: 
- Yoram Chisik, Independent Scholar
- Anton Nijholt, University of Twente

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Overview: In this workshop we seek to delve into what it means to be a non-human animal in the city and how digital technology and the notions of play can play a part in supporting, enhancing and advancing non-human animal life in the city. We invite researchers and practitioners to submit idea, concept, speculative, work in progress or position papers related to theoretical, methodological, technological or practical aspects of these questions with the aim of furthering the discussion and setting the stage for future collaboration.

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Night Safari - Haifa Educational Zoo

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WEDNESDAY 13 November - CONFERENCE

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SESSION ONE - Conference Opening

Welcome and introductory presentation by Conference Chair, Anna Zamansky, and Haifa University Representatives
Opening Keynote: Assaf Dagan, Petpace

 

* Biometrics and the Digital Patient - How wearable technology is revolutionizing veterinary medicine

 

SESSION TWO - Papers and Invited talks
Theme: Technology for Working Dogs

 

* An IoT and Analytics Platform for Characterizing Adolescent Dogs’ Suitability for Guide Work
Zach Cleghern, Evan Williams, Sean Mealin, Timothy, Holder, Marc Foster, Alpher Bozkurt, David L. Roberts (North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States)

 

* Predicting Guide Dog Temperament Evaluation Outcomes Using Raw ECG Signals
Sean Mealin, Zach Cleghern, Marc Foster, Alper Bozkurt, David L. Roberts (North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States)

 

* Preliminary Evaluation of Dog-Drone Technological Interfaces: Challenges and Opportunities
Marc Foster, Tarik Agcayazi, Talha Agcayazi, Tianfu Wu, Margaret Gruen, David L. Roberts, Alper Bozkurt (North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA)

 

* Exploration of Technology Requirements for the Assistance Canine Training Industry (Skype presentation)
Jai Farrell, Chris McCarthy, Caslon Chua (Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia)

 

* Invited Talk: Dogs can understand haptic communication
Ilana Nisky, Yoav Golan (Ben Gurion University, Israel)

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SESSION THREE - Papers and Invited talks
Theme: Wearable Tech and Society

 

* "Some might freak out" - What if your dog's activity tracker were to have a data breach?
Dirk van der Linden, Emma Williams (University of Bristol, UK), Irit Hadar, Anna Zamansky (University of Haifa, Israel)

 

* The not so secret life of pets: pet owners' privacy concerns for pet location data
Dirk van der Linden, Brittany I. Davidson (University of Bristol, UK), Anna Zamansky (University of Haifa, Israel)

 

* Does my dog really need a gadget? - What can we learn from pet owners' amotivations for using pet wearables?
Kopo M. Ramokapane, Dirk van der Linden (University of Bristol, UK), Anna Zamansky (University of Haifa, Israel)

 

* Invited Talk: The dog-human bond through the lens of technology
Stephane Bleuer (University of Haifa, Israel)

 

SESSION FOUR - Papers and Invited talks
Theme: Tools and Applications

 

* Invited Talk: Automatic Tools for evaluating sleep as a measure of animal welfare
Ivana Schork, Salford University, Manchester, UK

 

* Automated Tail Position Tracking with Millimeter Accuracy using Depth Sensing and Mask R-CNN
David L. Roberts, Jeremy Park, Margeret Gruen, Megan Carson (North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States)

 

* Designing for wearability: an animal-centred framework
Patrizia Paci, Clara Mancini, Blaine A. Price (The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK)

 

* Dog Driven Robot: Assessing Spatial Reasoning Ability in Dogs
Courtney Allen, Melissa Baltrusaitis, Vi Nguyen, Christopher Saad, Jacob Logas, Larry Freil, Ceara A. Byrne, Melody M. Jackson (Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, United States)

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THURSDAY 14 November - CONFERENCE

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SESSION FIVE - Second Day Opening

Keynote: Claude Beata, European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine

 

* Technology: Chances and Threats for Animal Health and Welfare

 

SESSION SIX - Papers and Invited talks
Theme: Broadening Participation

 

* Animal-Centred Sonic Interaction Design: Musical Instruments and Interfaces for Grey Parrots
Reinhard Gupfinger, Martin Kaltenbrunner (University of Art and Design, Linz, Austria)

 

* Towards Rehabilitation Smart Habitats: Designing for North American Opossum Joeys
Cassie Kresnye, Patrick C. Shih (Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana, United States)

 

* Barks & Rec: A Community-based Approach to Increasing Dog Physical Activity
Cassie Kresnye, Patrick C. Shih, (Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana, United States) , Lauren Trester (Xavier University, Ohio, United States), Alec A. Theisz (Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana, United States)

 

* Poster: AffectiveNemo: Promoting Owner-Fish Interaction by Displaying Observed Fish Emotion with Speech Bubble
Naohiro Isokawa, Tadashi Okoshi, Jin Nakazawa (Keio University, Fujisawa, Japan)

 

SESSION SEVEN - Papers and Invited Talks
Theme: Precision Farming

 

* Opportunities for ACI in PLF: Applying Animal- and User-Centred Design to Precision Livestock Farming
Ayoola Makinde, Muhammad M. Islam, Stacey D. Scott (University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada)

 

* Invited Talk: Current trends and perspective of precision livestock farming (PLF)  with relation to IoT and data science tools 
Ilan Halachmi (Agricultural Research Ogranization, Volcani Center)

 

* Invited Talk: Sensor base cooling reduced heat stress in dairy cows
Harel Levit, (Agricultural Research Ogranization, Volcani Center)

 

* Iinvited Talk: Novel sustainable technologies for the poultry industry aimed at welfare and flock animal behavior issues
Ziv Dubinsky (Metabolic Robots)

 

SESSION EIGHT - Papers and Invited Talks
Theme: Methods and Reflections

 

* Method for Evaluating Animal Usability (MEAU)
Luisa F. Ruge, Clara Mancini (The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom)

 

* Invited Talk: Technology needs of behavioral veterinarians
Sylvia Masson (Private Veterinary Practice, Voreppe, France)

 

* P for Politics D for Dialogue: Reflections on Participatory Design with Children and Animals
Yoram Chisik (Independent, Haifa, Israel), Clara Mancini (The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom)