Turkish Farmer Uses VR Glasses To Persuade Cows They Are In Pasture And Increase Their Milk Output

NEW YORK (VINnews) — A Turkish farmer fitted his cows stuck in a cowshed with virtual reality (VR) glasses to make them think they were outside in the pasture. The farmer bought the headsets after a study suggested that pleasant scenes make cows happier and this helps them produce more milk.

The ploy paid off as the farmer. Izzet Kocak, told The Sun that the cows output increased from 22 litres to 27 litres a day.

Kocak said that ‘They are watching a green pasture and it gives them an emotional boost. They are less stressed.’

Photos from the farmer’s cow shed show one of the bovines sporting the goggles while happily munching on grass.

The headsets were developed with vets and first tested on a farm in Moscow. Farmers worked with developers, vets and consultants at the Krasnogorsk farm near Moscow, to beam the cattle a simulation of a summer field. The Russian Ministry of Agriculture claimed that the glasses ‘reduced anxiety and improved overall emotional mood’ among the cows.

The new VR headsets are calibrated for the cows and technicians needed to change the color coordination to fit the unique vision of cows, which cannot see red or green and only perceive dull shades of yellow and blue.

Kocak has also previously experimented with classical music to relax his 180-strong herd but is now planning to buy 10 more headsets to entertain the cows and to hopefully improve their output.