Have you ever gone to an optometrist’s office and used a machine called an autorefractor? This is said to help determine your prescription for glasses or contacts. When you place your chin to look into the machine, there’s usually an image presented of a pasture. Aesthetically, it might look nice, but it’s said that this could help relax your eye muscles and help determine your ability to focus. It’s interesting: to understand our eyesight, we see what a cow might, in theory, see.
But, maybe, that’s just a picturesque image. Cows may not always be living in green pastures, their way of life might be more miserable and desolate. Is there a way to help these cows? Is it time these cows don’t have a cow, man?
Because as we aspire to become more and more metropolitan, sometimes, people may have the desire to be one with nature and foster a stronger sense of tranquility and serenity. That may be why some rich folks may try to get a place in the countryside to get digitally divorced. But, could it be that technology in the 21st century could even pervade the greenest and most lush pastures?
Something interesting seemed to have happened in Moscow in recent times where dairy cows were equipped with VR headsets. How come? The idea is to calm and comfort these bovines, because, in Mother Russia, the conditions seem bleak and cold, so, if the cows are somehow transported into sun-kissed pastures, maybe, their milk output might be more rich. According to the Moscow Ministry of Agriculture & Food, there might be a correlation between a cow’s emotional and psychological wellbeing and its productivity. So, there might be a yield of higher quality and higher quantity of milk. Who needs Dr Doolittle, anyway?
And what are the cows seeing? The simulated environments in the VR headset had a predominantly red colour scheme, because it’s said that cattle vision perceives the red aspect of the light spectrum more vividly than others. If warmer tones are emphasized, the sense of comfort of these cows might be maximized. Anecdotal evidence is said to outline that as a result of the VR headsets, the cows experienced decreased anxiety and an elevation of their emotional mood. That’s sweet.
Give them some sunshine, they want to grow up once again. They might prefer some kind of idyllic dairy farm, as opposed to long stretches of sub-freezing temperatures.
Farm or domesticated animals might, unfortunately, not live the best lives. Be it a cow or chicken or pig, they might live in cramped quarters, uncomfortable temperatures and be subject to various forms of human cruelty. If these stressors are mitigated, the animal husbandry folks might be happier. Just like humans, a happier cow might mean a healthier and more productive animal.
Could strapping a VR headset cause discomfort or confusion? The head shapes of cows are different from humans, so specially designed headsets were said to have been used that are padded for comfort. Hopefully, they’re trying to do the same for human beings to get them to wear them for long periods of time. And if the images are stable, motion sickness might be prevented. After all, VR is said to already induce some degree of nausea amongst human beings.
Of course, it could be correlation, as opposed to causation. There may still need to be more studies and tests to ascertain whether VR really boosts milk production. A cursory Google search outlines that good milk secretion in cows can be attributed to body weight, better nutrition, cool or moderate environmental temperatures and more. So, could tricking the cow that it’s wandering in pastures do the trick? Because the premise of VR may have been an outlet for human escapism. Maybe, it’s time to extend that privilege to animals.
It might be a win-win: the farm profits and the cows are happier. Maybe, pigs might want a Google Glass-esque device, too. They’re said to be pretty intelligent, but might get depressed being confined to cramped pens. Maybe, pigs using VR could see open spaces & muddy and wooded areas. That’s how the bacon gets made.
Okay, the idea might still sound a bit comical. VR headsets for cows? What year is this? 3100? Though, if studies show concrete and promising results, would India’s AgriTech ecosystem step up?
The need might be there. India’s summers are as hot as Russia’s winters are cold. During heavy monsoons, the cows might be confined indoors for extended periods, which may make them restless and stressed. And if there’s chronic heat stress, that might compromise milk yield, which may be why the milkperson might be notoriously known for adding water to milk to increase quantity. If the cows can’t get AC to deal with the heat, the VR may not literally cool the cows, but would it trick them into just being chill?
Have you seen those tags of “free-range” or “organic”? Could AgriTech be able to make this a success in such a way that VR tech becomes a brand differentiator? You might just see a label on the milk packets you get at 7 am or on the Tetra Paks: “derived from cows in stress-free VR environments”. Who’d have thunk? Imagine that niche consumer segment. Consumers may even pay more for this. Maybe, VR headset milk might have the status of oat milk or almond milk. Imagine going to your local Starbucks and asking for this new customization.
Maybe, some AgriTech maverick might pair the VR headset with a sensor to track stress hormones or heart rates in cows. Maybe, agriculturalists might be interested in those valuable insights. Someone could pitch to co-operatives VRaaS (VR-as-a-Service). Maybe, it could work similar to the Drone Didi programme.
It’s said that in India, dairy production comes mostly from small-scale dairy agriculturalists. Roughly 75 million rural dairy farms have 10 cattle or less. So, how feasible would a VR intervention be? Would this mean substantial upfront costs or could subsidies prevail, if they were to go the VR route? Maybe, some cooperatives might worry about these initial costs, but could an increase in yield mean higher revenues that would offset those costs?
Of course, VR isn’t the silver bullet to how farm animals are treated. Maybe, it’s more about additional comfort. Though, it might be funny to see a chicken or a goat or a buffalo wear a customized VR headset. Of course, one, also, has to consider the wear and tear of the VR headsets, because they may be meant more for indoors, rather than to deal with dust or moisture or rugged conditions. Maybe, servicing those headsets might mean another revenue stream.
So, is all of this something for India’s AgriTech startup ecosystem to consider? Is this something they’d have beef with? Or is this the kind of legendairy idea they’ve been waiting for? Do they lactose kind of novel streams of thinking? Fodder for thought.
