One must have seen humans wearing virtual reality (VR) headsets, but there is a country where even cows use it. Moscow’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food has launched this unique initiative for research purpose.
According to experts, an attempt is being made to know if the moods of cows change after wearing VR headset and whether it affects their milk production capacity. In the first set of tests conducted, it has become apparent, that the cows tend to relax with the VR sets.
As Russia faces heavy winter and cold conditions for majority of the year, the lack of green is quite evident. Cows love to graze on green grass. Researchers are trying to create a virtual green through the VR sets for the cows with the hope that it will increase milk production. The VR headsets which gives the cows a feel of walking on green fields, however, still haven’t thrown up any concrete information regarding the increase in milk production.
According to experts, the advent of technology like VR headsets and robots has brought a revolution in the field of dairy and animal husbandry. They said that virtual reality (VR) headsets will also help in reducing cows’ health related ailments.
Researchers will examine the effects of the programme in a long-term study. The developers reportedly hope to expand the project if positive results continue
However this is not the first time such an initiative has been taken for the cows. In many places, music is played to improve the mental condition of the cows. This method has also proved to be very effective.