Lincoln Park Zoo's Cognitive Learning Program
The Lincoln Park Zoo's Cognitive Learning Program was in need of new software to help expand their future research with apes. Using outdated software that was limiting the longevity and scope of their research, the zoo needed to find a new software solution.
Edgeworks Technology worked with Steve Ross, a behavioral research scientist at the zoo, to discover the best way of solving the problems at hand. After conducting research and preparation, work began on the software solution that would lead the zoo into the next stage of their research program and beyond. The project involved working with existing touch panel hardware as well as a unique USB feeding device that would reward the apes' when they successfully completed a task.
The new version of the software contains a simple shaping test where an ape sees a stimulus, (normally a picture of another ape), and reacts to it. There is also a matching test and a counting, or sequencing, test as well. All these tests log the apes' performance and can be used by the researcher to graph progress. The most important requirements were the ability of the software to grow with the subjects' skills and be completely customizable. Edgeworks built the system to be exactly that while working under the strict parameters that the zoo requested; everything from the feeding device's motor duration to the number of images displayed on the touch panel are now fully configurable. All this was done so that the software can continue to challenge the apes for an extended period of time. The scientists are now continuing their research using this software, which will take them through the next several years. As their research continues to grow, Edgeworks will be there to help solve technological challenges and assist in the success of this interesting and exciting project.
The oldest zoo in the country, Lincoln Park Zoo began in 1868 with the gift of a pair of swans. Today, three million visitors each year come to the zoo to watch, listen to, delight in, and learn from more than 1,000 mammals, reptiles, and birds housed there. Research projects such as the Cognitive Learning Program enrich scientists' understanding of the animals and help the zoo accomplish its goals of wildlife preservation, education, and community service.
To learn more about other interesting projects going on Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes at the Lincoln Park Zoo click here!
