iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas

European Research Council (ERC) @erc.europa.eu · 26/08/2026

Ever heard of a dog 🐶 using button soundboards to communicate with humans? Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @glasgow.ac.uk grapples with how to design technology for animal users. Read her interview @wired.com "Parrots Are Video Calling Their Friends Now" 👉️ bit.ly/3Qb02Ip #DogDay @ilyena.com [AI-created 🖼️]

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Reposted by Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas

Maartje de Graaf @robonarratives.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

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!).

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 19/03/2026

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

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 26/02/2026

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

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 13/02/2026

This sounds so beautiful, who doesn’t love a dance!

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Reposted by Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas

Joanna Bagniewska @joannabagniewska.com · 12/05/2025

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/...

A composite image of parrots calling each other on tablets. Image from Kleinberger et al., 2023.

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 12/02/2026

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

nytimes.com

TV, It’s Not Just for Humans Anymore

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 09/01/2026

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

youtube.com

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

YouTube video by TEDx Talks

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 07/01/2026

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

aaha.org

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.

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 31/12/2025

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.

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 19/12/2025

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

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Reposted by Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas

British Science Association @britsciassoc.bsky.social · 12/09/2025

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

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Reposted by Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas

UofGNews @uofgnews.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

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...

Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas of the School of Computing Science (left) and Dr Rachael Boyd of the School of Mathematics & Statistics. Dr Boyd photo credit: Patrick Orson

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Reposted by Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas

University of Glasgow @glasgow.ac.uk · 04/07/2025

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...

ted.com

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...

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 21/04/2025

My group @uofglasgow.bsky.social continues to examine how we can ethically build shared interfaces between humans and animals, supporting welfare, education, and conservation goals through multispecies design. Find us next week at @chi.acm.org ilyena.com/wp-content/u...

ilyena.com

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 21/04/2025

Analysing 968 questionnaires & 25k visitors, when people had similar tech to experience the stimuli and play a game about the lemurs' preferences, everything significantly improved: people spent more time and in increased numbers at the enclosure, increased empathy and learning

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 21/04/2025

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

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 20/04/2025

Yes! Excited about this publication ❤️

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Reposted by Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas

UofGNews @uofgnews.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

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...

Red-ruffed lemurs at Blair Drummond Safari Park interact with the SensorySafari system

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Reposted by Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas

Glasgow Women in Computer Science @gwics.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

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.

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Reposted by Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas

Glasgow Women in Computer Science @gwics.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

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!

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 03/03/2025

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

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Reposted by Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas

INEVITABLE @weareinevitable.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

@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

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 17/02/2025

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!

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 17/02/2025

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.

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 17/02/2025

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!

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 05/02/2025

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.

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 18/12/2024

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.

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 15/12/2024

How was it? Do you mean smelling while doing VR?

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 09/12/2024

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!

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 08/12/2024

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.

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 02/12/2024

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

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 01/12/2024

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.

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 30/11/2024

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...

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 30/11/2024

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...

dl.acm.org

Proceedings of the International Conference on Animal-Computer Interaction | ACM Other conferences

ACI: Animal-Computer Interaction

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Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas @ilyena.com · 19/11/2024

I will be giving a talk tomorrow at @manmetuni.bsky.social on my zoo research with animals. I am looking forward to also hearing the other talks and meeting new zoo researchers! @uofglasgow.bsky.social @uofgcompsci.bsky.social

Poster for Zoo Research Day at Manchester Metropolitan University, taking place on Wednesday, 20th November, from 1:30 PM to 5 PM in room BS G.36. The programme includes four talks. The poster includes images of relevant animals and plants, such as a frog, a hippo, a carnivorous plant, and a parrot.

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