ELEPHANTS

Interactive Audio for Elephants

Brief provided by Fiona French and Lisa Yon from The Elephant Welfare Group.

Elephants are naturally social, communicating within their herds, and as they live in a fission fusion society, when groups split off from each other, they often communicate over distance with others from their larger group.

INPUT
Must be:

1. Sufficiently robust
2. Relatively easy to install
3. Easy for keeper to maintain – e.g. change batteries, dismantle, switch off
4. Easy for elephant to control, and offer choice

OUTPUT
Please consider the nature of the acoustic feedback being offered – for example, is it biologically salient? Is this an important factor for the output to be enriching? What sounds might it cause unwanted stress?

Auditory enrichment may be problematic in an environment with more than one animal – after all, we wouldn’t expect everyone to enjoy the same music; some people prefer silence to any kind of noise; choice of music depends on mood. Therefore, any design must take into consideration the context and offer solutions for:

1. Reducing the possibility of inciting competition for a resource.
2. Avoiding domination by one member of a group.
3. Investigate methods by which the database be made interactive; i.e. allow individuals to record and enrol their own content into the database.
4. Eliminating (or reducing) unwanted auditory effect on others.
5. Interfering with existing social structures.
6. Capability of elephants to fling large objects at keepers and members of public!

Concept development

Everyone contributed to the elephant brainstorming session, but we didn't develop any elephant concepts in the afternoon as we were a small group and could only focus on 3 animals.

• Use soundproofing, dampening to stop too much noise echoing round shed. Shape of shed important - L-shape baffles sound, or pile of logs. (Val)
• Cone of silence! Umbrella with sound effects inside that covers elephant head.
• Cavity for baby head to go through! sound inside only.
• Individuals have preferences - cooperative trigger across a wall, so trigger on one side casues acoustic output on the other.
• Blow wind chimes - harmonica is more interesting.
• Blow water/air - popcorn shooter exists - column air hits trigger, could be a whistle.
• Floor pressure piano plays musical notes.
• Cubby holes for trunks to enter, slide closed when device if off - timed play. Kinect inside to monitor trunk position (theraminish).
• Elephant soundscape - Skype across communities/enclosures, for distant communication. Decode vocalisations - what does it mean, so provide an appropriate response. Good for staying in touch with distant relative or making introductions.
• Counterweighted rope to pull as trigger. Elephant-based sounds, frogs, environmental sound.
• Multiple interfaces, could harmonise, and less fighting.
• Do elephants have regional dialects? can they understand each other?
• Can be socially isolated, so sounds might help. (Fiona)
• Rattle stuff, percussion - music?
• Devices outside protrude through for safety; visual on/off keeper control or auto?