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Some
200 birds find the care they need at Foster Parrots, Ltd.
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When
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN FRONTIERS first met Alex the African Grey
parrot in 1992, he could already correctly name and distinguish
between different colors, sizes, objects and materials. In
"Entertaining Parrots," Alan catches up with Alex and psychologist
Irene Pepperberg,
who has been working with Alex for the last 23 years.
Now
a visiting professor at MIT's famed Media Lab, Pepperberg
brought in Alex and two younger parrots called Wart and Griffin
to teach the engineers to train intelligent robotic systems
the same way Pepperberg trains her birds. But once there,
Pepperberg saw that technology had much to offer parrots in
return.
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again! Alan is amazed by Alex the parrot, trained by Irene
Pepperberg. |
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As
she and Alan see first hand at a parrot rescue and adoption
center, these brilliant birds require lots of attention and
mental stimulation to remain happy and healthy, a task many
parrot owners find they are not up to. So Pepperberg has begun
some "pet projects" of her own, using technology to build
games and toys that can keep bored parrots entertained throughout
the day. One of Pepperberg's prototypes is a nut dispenser
the parrots control with a large, beak-friendly lever. The
birds must learn to "read" a variety of arrows in order to
manipulate the lever and get the nut. She has also devised
"InterPet Explorer," a web browser software for birds that
allows lonesome parrots to call up comforting pictures and
audio of their owners, or even other parrots.
For
more on this topic, see the web feature:
For
the Birds
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