Keynote: Dr. Christopher Flynn Martin, Indianapolis Zoo/IU

Talk Title: Functionally Naturalistic Design for Zoos: ACI Methods for Science and Wellbeing

Bio: “Christopher Flynn Martin is the Director of Research at The Indianapolis Zoo. He possesses a Ph.D. and M.S. in Primatology from Kyoto University and a B.A. in Psychology from The University of Pennsylvania. In addition to his role at the zoo, Dr. Martin is an adjunct professor at Indiana University Bloomington's Luddy School of Informatics. His research interests include great ape social cognition, communication, imitation, and strategic reasoning. At The Indianapolis Zoo, Dr. Martin leads cognitive studies with orangutans and chimpanzees, incorporating computer touchscreen tasks that the apes voluntarily engage with during public demonstrations. This approach not only provides enrichment for the apes but also yields insights into their cognitive processes. Additionally, these public demonstrations serve to educate and inspire visitors about the intelligence of these species and the importance of conservation efforts.”

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(Dinner on our own)

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Wednesday, December 3rd

Indianapolis Zoo​

 

Conference attendees are invited to spend a day at the Indianapolis Zoo, with transportation provided to and from the conference location.  We will leave the IMU student union and Biddle hotel complex at 8:00am, arriving at the zoo at 9:00am.  Our visit begins with refreshments and welcome talks by zoo staff followed by an open house of behind-the-scenes experiences with animals. A highlight of the visit will be a guided tour of the Zoo’s new chimpanzee exhibit, which features computerized enrichment opportunities and an extensive network of overhead trails connecting indoor and outdoor spaces for the largest community of zoo-housed chimpanzees in the world. In the afternoon, attendees may choose to participate in one of two workshops:  “ApeJam” (Fiona French, Christopher Flynn Martin and Fay Clark), or “Design Fiction for Animal-Robot Interaction: In the New Era of Artificial Intelligence” (Haruka Kasuga, Masashi Takeshita and Yuichiro Kasuga).  Alternatively, attendees may continue exploring the Zoo, or visit nearby museums in downtown Indianapolis, all within walking distance. The group will depart the zoo at 4:15pm, returning to campus and the IMU student union/hotel at approximately 5:25pm.

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Detailed Zoo Day Schedule and Map

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8:00am

Depart Main Lobby entrance, Biddle Hotel/Indiana Memorial Union

9:15am

Arrive at zoo

9:30am

Welcome talk by Dr. Rob Shumaker, President and CEO

10:00am-12:00pm

Behind the scenes tours

12:00-1:00pm

Lunch

1:00-4:00pm

Concurrent Workshops​

• Ape Jam 2025

  • Fiona French, Christopher Flynn Martin and Fay Clark

​Participants will receive a set of briefs for different ape species, provided by animal experts. They will then form teams to address each brief in turn, collaborating to share knowledge and ideas. Teams will devise enrichment challenges in response to the briefs, incorporating interactive digital systems using elements like touchscreens, sensors, food dispensers, and audio/video playback devices. The goals of the enrichment will be to support the animals to express their natural behaviours, and to answer specific research questions relating to great and smaller apes. Teams will then be asked to produce detailed designs that include a clear rationale for design decisions as well as viable methods for evaluating their designs in relation to the stated goals in the briefs. To showcase the workshop outputs, teams will create a poster that can be displayed during the rest of the conference. To complete the day, we'll have a short plenary, where participants present their ideas and animal experts offer feedback.

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Workshop website: https://zoojam.org/apejam/

• Design Fiction for Animal-Robot Interaction: In the New Era of Artificial Intelligence

  • Haruka Kasuga, Masashi Takeshita and Yuichiro Kasuga

For millennia, animals have been deeply intertwined with human civilization, serving not only as companions but also as essential partners in agriculture, labor, and emotional support. Today, this ancient relationship is evolving dramatically with the increasing integration of Artificially Intelligent (AI) entities and communication robots (such as AIBO, LOVOT, and robotic delivery systems) into societal spheres traditionally occupied by animals.

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This workshop is designed to facilitate robust discussion by leveraging the characteristic diversity of ACI communities, bringing together researchers from various disciplines, including ethology, robotics, design, and philosophy. The session will feature:

• Two Keynote Presentations:

  • Prof. Shimmura (Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan): Focusing on the specialized field of farm animal-robot interaction, with a particular emphasis on chick-robot interaction.

  • Dr. Takeshita (Nagoya University, Japan): Presenting on the emerging and critical topic of AI Ethics concerning Animals.

• Ideating Group Work: A collaborative session structured to generate novel concepts and research directions.

 

Employing a Design Fiction approach, this workshop will collectively explore the multifaceted and challenging future of animal-robot interaction in our rapidly changing society, aiming to establish foundational principles for responsible and effective design.

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Workshop website: https://designfic4animalrobot.wordpress.com/

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Workshop registration link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCyqB1YYOt7JRNfMgTXk1qnTQGUL9u1lfJuzyi_4Z5zYoR4g/viewform

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Coffee/tea/cookies​

4:15pm

Depart zoo, return to campus by 5:30pm​

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(Dinner on our own)

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Thursday, December 4th

Indiana Memorial Union Building, Walnut Room​​

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For our second and final day of keynote talks and paper presentations we will return to the IMU Walnut Room.  The day begins with an ACI town hall session for open discussion and future planning; all are welcome to attend. Three paper sessions follow, with a final keynote address by Dr. Joe Caudell of Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources.  The day ends with our conference dinner.  Coffee/tea and light refreshments will be available in the morning and afternoon.  Boxed lunches will be provided.

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9:00am

Coffee/tea/water, pastries and fruit available

9:30-10:30am

ACI Town Hall

10:30-10:40am

Break

10:40-12:00am

Session 3

• [(20) full paper] DiabetiCAT: Animal Biosensing Computing with Feline Urine Glucose Biosensing and Hydration Monitoring.

  • Shuyi Sun, Jinho Yon, Xingda Chen, Krystle Reagan and Katia Vega

• [(20) full paper] Evaluating Data Preprocessing Strategies for Canine Activity Recognition Using IMUs.

  • Gustavo Tironi and Rafael de Pinho André

• [(20) full paper] An Integrated Wearable Sensor System for Simultaneous Pull and Pace Characterization in Guide Dogs.

  • Colt Nichols, Yifan Wu, Eleanor McNamee, Curtis Greene, Margaret Gruen, Jane Russenberger, Gerald Brenninkmeyer, David L. Roberts and Alper Bozkurt

• [(20) full paper] Toward Automated Pain Evaluation in Osteoarthritic Dogs Through Inertial Data and Machine Learning.

• • Yifan Wu, Jianxun Wang, B. Duncan X. Lascelles, Masataka Enomoto, Alper Bozkurt and David L. Roberts

Noon-12:45pm

Lunch - box lunches

12:45-2:05pm

Session 4

• [      Honorable Mention Award][(20) full paper] Look What the Cat Tapped In: Exploring Digital Interactive Systems Designed for the Cat Cafe Experience.

  • Florence P. E. Payne, Rébecca Kleinberger and Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas

• [(15) short paper] Parallel Animal-Centered Ethics: An Investigatory Review of Lab Rat Welfare Literature.

  • Jake Peacock, Lisa Brey and Leigh Levinson

• [(15) short paper] Listening with the Fishes: Aquatic Audio Interfaces to Experience Acoustic Underwater Worlds.

  • Karen Lu, Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, Cailigh MacDonald and Rebecca Kleinberger

• [(15) short paper] Detection of Weight Distribution With an Electronically Augmented Bareback Pad During Therapy Using Equine Movement.

  • Thomas Chan, Rossy Dang, Vijay Shastri, Arianna Mastali, Sophie Clyde, Annie Zhang, Caden Prather, Charles Ramey, Bethany Nugent, Thad Starner and Melody Jackson

2:05-2:15pm

Break coffee/tea and cookies

2:15-3:35pm

Session 5

• [(15) short paper] Ewe’ve Got Nerve: Electronic Headwear System for Sheep Group Behavior Dynamics.

  • Grace Crim, Alex Cabral, Josiah Hester and Caleb Kemere

• [      Best Paper Award][(20) full paper] Using Community Notes to Enact Attitudinal Change towards Urban Wildlife.

  • Sam Gowland, Brittany Davidson and Dirk van der Linden. 

• [(20) full paper] Weeds or Careful Cultivars? On the Growth of Social Media in Urban Wildlife Research and Relations.

  • Sam Gowland and Dirk van der Linden

• [(20) full paper] Driving out the Bears from the Suburbs by Means of Location Theory and Intelligent Agents.

  • Jan Dünnweber, Marcel Lorenz, Fabian Bräu, Hiroshi Saito and Matthias Melzer

3:35-3:45pm

Break

3:45-5:00pm