Keynote by @ilyena.com at @hri-conference.bsky.social invites us to rethink HRI in a world where robots increasingly share space with multiple species. She argues that considering animals as users and stakeholders broadens our ethical lens and ultimately helps us build better robots (and humans!).

Thank you for inviting me and it is wonderful to learn so much about the community 🎉

Maartje de Graaf@robonarratives.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Keynote by @ilyena.com at @hri-conference.bsky.social invites us to rethink HRI in a world where robots increasingly share space with multiple species. She argues that considering animals as users and stakeholders broadens our ethical lens and ultimately helps us build better robots (and humans!).

What if we designed tech for sleep needs? Our upcoming ACM TEI paper explores a smart pillow that controls audio via hugging & squeezing. Co-design with 16 participants showed that sleep onset is its own design context. ilyenahirskyjdouglas.wordpress.com/... @teiconsortium.bsky.social

Pet parrots were taught to do video calls, and it was a hit. The birds not only made friends with each other, and selected who they wanted to call and when, but also picked up new skills from fellow parrots. Good enrichment option for improving captive parrot welfare. 🧪🦜 dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...

My work on dog- and cat screen technologies is featured in today’s New York Times — discussing control, choice, and what “enrichment” really means in digital environments www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/s... @glasgow.ac.uk @uofgcompsci.bsky.social

TV, It’s Not Just for Humans Anymore

nytimes.com

My TEDxManchester talk, "What if your dog could FaceTime you?" was featured in the top 25 most essential talks playlist on the TEDx channel. Thank you to everyone who watched, shared, and nurtured these ideas! youtu.be/Rgfi6DGDPBk?... @glasgow.ac.uk @uofgstem.bsky.social

What if your dog could FaceTime you? | Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas | TEDxManchester

YouTube video by TEDx Talks

youtube.com

Grateful to see our cat café research getting attention from The American Animal Hosptial Association! 🐱 A reminder that animals don't always engage with tech the way we expect. www.aaha.org/trends-magaz... @glasgow.ac.uk

Tablets for tabbies: A look at technology, animal welfare, and interaction in cat cafes

Can technology improve the cat and visitor experience in cat cafes? A recent study created MewTube to find out.

aaha.org

Big year, bigger one ahead. With my ERC Starting Grant FUTUREFAUNA starting next year, it feels like I’m stepping into the next phase of what I can do. Excited for the next five years — and to kick it off with a keynote at HRI in March.

At the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour conference, where Jiaqi presented her PhD work showing that multimodal technology (smell, sound, and visuals) engaged lemurs far better than visuals alone. Paper: doi.org/10.1145/3706... @glasgow.ac.uk

If you missed Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas at British Science Festival in Liverpool yesterday talking about her work to connect animals through tech, check this out! 🦜💻 #BSF25

Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas@ilyena.com · 12mo ago

My TEDx talk has been featured on TEDx YouTube as an Editor's Pick! youtu.be/Rgfi6DGDPBk?...

Congrats to Dr Rachael Boyd of the School of Mathematics & Statistics and Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas (@ilyena.bsky.social) of @uofgcompsci.bsky.social, who have received @erc.europa.eu Starting Grants to support groundbreaking new research projects. Read more here: gla.ac.uk/news/headlin...

My TEDx talk has been featured on TEDx YouTube as an Editor's Pick! youtu.be/Rgfi6DGDPBk?...

What if your dog could FaceTime you? | Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas | TEDxManchester

YouTube video by TEDx Talks

youtu.be

In her TEDx talk, UofG's Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas reveals what happens when animals control their own technology. From parrots choosing their online friends to dogs scheduling video calls! Learn about her groundbreaking research ⬇️ www.ted.com/talks/ilyena...

What happens when your dog uses the internet

Imagine this: you walk into a room, and your dog is on a video call with their fellow canine friends. Computer scientist Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas thinks the notion of a social internet for animals is no...

ted.com

How can interactive technology support animals and humans in zoos? We developed a device for red-ruffed lemurs to trigger smell, sound, and visuals. Using the device 4021 times over 63 days, lemurs use the system significantly more with multimodal than unimodal stimuli

New technology developed by @ilyena.bsky.social of @uofgcompsci.bsky.social in partnership with Blair Drummond Safari Park which allows zoo animals and their human visitors to share experiences could have positive benefits for both. Read more here: www.gla.ac.uk/news/headlin...

Thanks so much to our two speakers for an excellent seminar about starting new research groups. @ilyena.bsky.social and Sharon Ding provided fantastic advice and introspective reflections on their experiences.

Exciting times, the next GWiCS Seminar is coming soon! Next week on Wednesday at 3pm Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.bsky.social and Dr Xianghua (Sharon) Ding will talk to us about their experiences establishing new groups as research leaders. Come join us in SAWB room 423 or on Zoom!

Over the weekend, I gave a TEDxManchester talk on creating computer devices that enable animals to control their environment and social lives using the Internet. The talk will be available on YouTube in a few months (link coming soon!). @uofglasgow.bsky.social

@ilyena.bsky.social delves into building the Animal Internet, a realm where animals connect through technology, reshaping our bond with them. A must-see exploration! 🌍 #TEDxManchester

My research group has been awarded a @ufaw.bsky.social Large Grant to study the behaviour of Red-Ruff Lemurs with technology at @blairdrummond.bsky.social Zoo. Berkay Arslan will join my Animal-Computer Interaction group at @uofglasgow.bsky.social for six months - welcome!

What a beautiful campus the @uniofstandrews.bsky.social has! Thank you for inviting me to talk about my animal-computing research at the Psychology and Neuroscience department and to Prof Amanda Seed for the ice cream and conversation.

I'll be giving a TEDx talk in March on my vision and work around the Animal Internet and how this can reshape our understanding of animal lives - exciting times!

I lectured at @northeasternu.bsky.social Animal-Computer Interaction class; students asked how I chose projects/animals to guide their choices. Ideas spark from institutions, papers and experience, but navigating animal and human desires for tech (of who wants what & why) is complex.

'POCA!' Is A Game Boy Camera Photobook Adventure & A Heartfelt Homage To 'Hip' Tanaka.

Feature: 'POCA!' Is A Game Boy Camera Photobook Adventure & A Heartfelt Homage To 'Hip' Tanaka

"I feel like I made the book almost for him"

nintendolife.com

Pet tech offers many ways to transform how we care for animals. As someone who builds pet tech, I've seen the rise of quantified pets offering potential insights into animal health. I'm quoted in this article asking how we make meaning and use pet tracking data and its potential unexpected usage.

Evan McMurry@evanmcmurry.theatlantic.com · 2y ago

@kristenvbrown.bsky.social: “A deluge of data can make real health concerns difficult to discern. It also totally stressed me out.”

I will present my parrot and dog interactive tech research tomorrow at Prof. Ludwig Huber's lab at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. I'm looking forward to the comparative cognition perspective on my work and to thinking about wider implications. Thanks for the invite!

I am was privileged to host the International ACI Conference this week at @uofglasgow.bsky.social. Thank you to Glasgow City Council for their sponsorship, and immense gratitude to all attendees who made this such a productive and engaging event.

This year I’m hosting the ACM International Animal-Computer Interaction conference - kicking off today with a workshop on acoustic enrichment

Hello Bluesky 👋 I make interactive computers for animals that allow them to control their environment and access the internet. I create technologies that allow for animals to have new ways of interaction, enabling choice and control over their life. From tech usage we can peek inside their world.

I have two papers in this year's proceedings: 1) A review of demographic reporting in animal research w/ @rebeccakleinberger.bsky.social [Honourable mention] doi.org/10.1145/3702... 2) Designing immersive curved screens for dogs to control in their home environment doi.org/10.1145/3702...

Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas@ilyena.com · 2y ago

With the International Animal Computer Interaction conference starting Monday, this year's proceedings have just hit the ACM Digital Library. dl.acm.org/doi/proceedi...