Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Animal-Computer Interaction

Abstract

Although animals have been exposed to interactive technology for the best part of a century in fields as diverse as ecology, cognitive science and agricultural engineering, it is only recently that interaction designers have begun to take an interest in these interactions. And it was only three and a half years ago when a small group of researchers first came together during a Special Interest Group meeting, hosted by the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI2012), to discuss a topic very few had done work in or even heard about: Animal-Computer Interaction. Since then, dedicated workshops and congress editions hosted by computing conferences and conventions have fostered the development of a keen community, while an increasing body of work has begun to shape an emerging discipline now referred to by abbreviation as ACI. A highly interdisciplinary field, ACI encompasses work whose aim is to understand the interaction between animals and technology in naturalistic settings; to develop user-centered technology that can improve animals' welfare, support animals in their activities and foster interspecies relationships; and to inform user-centered approaches to the design of interactive technology intended for animals. By taking a multispecies perspective to the study and design of technological interactions, ACI acknowledges the evolutionary continuities existing between species, including humans, thus pushing the boundaries of interaction design in terms of participating agents, methods and applications. While strengthening interaction design, ACI has the potential to improve animal wellbeing and human-animal relations, and to contribute to the development of more inclusive societies and sustainable forms of technologically supported living. To advance this vision and on the strength of work done so far, this year the ACI community takes an important leap forward, as the annual ACI convention that has taken place since 2014 becomes an independent conference, in co-operation with the ACM SIGCHI.