Researchers in Singapore have developed a system that allows users to touch chickens remotely over the Internet. We know what you're thinking because we thought the exact same thing: Finally!
If like us you buy a state of the art computer to work from then the last thing you want is poultry pecking away at it, so you're forced to keep your chickens out on the window box. This means dragging yourself across the room each and every time you feel the urge to pet them. Thank god then for the innovative talent over at the Mixed Reality Lab:
"This is the first human-poultry interaction system ever developed," said professor Adrian David Cheok, the leader of the team, who has been developing the technology for nearly two years.
We need more people like this working in London. Where are our home-grown technological breakthroughs? We blame the government for a lack of funding in the area of creative cockerel cuddling.
Don't rush to order your kits just yet though as there are still a few problems to be ironed out.
the systems feel like you are poking at the world through a stick. A major challenge is providing the user with more delicate tactile sensations, such as feeling that occurs when one draws her finger over a rough or smooth surface. This kind of realism is difficult to achieve."
So the sensitivity required isn't quite there yet and we wouldn't want any Londonist readers to accidentally choke their chickens over the Internet. We really wouldn't.
We'd still like to put ourselves forward as early adopters of the software though as we like the idea of poking a few of you with a stick. Even a virtual one.
It could also answer the age old question: Do Londonist readers feel like chicken tonight?
