Virtual reality technology apparently isn't solely for humans.
Turns out some folks got the nifty idea to outfit cows with virtual reality goggles in the winter in the hopes of boosting their milk production, the Sun reported.
The goggles were developed with veterinarians and first tested on a farm in Moscow, the paper said, adding that cattle breeder Izzet Kocak put them on two cows in Aksaray, Turkey, and results have been favorable.
Photo by Zekeriya Karadavut/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Believe it or not, the cows' milk output has increased from 5.8 gallons to 7 gallons a day, the Sun said.
Instead of looking at a chilly indoor facility, the cows are "watching a green pasture, and it gives them an emotional boost. They are less stressed," Kocak told the paper.
Russia’s agriculture ministry said the system was developed based on the principle that cows perceive shades of red better than shades of blue and green, the Sun said.
“During the first test, experts recorded a decrease in anxiety," the ministry noted to the paper.
Indeed, while previously Kocak played classical music for his 180 animals, presumably as a mood booster, he's so happy with the virtual reality goggles that he plans to buy 10 more sets, the Sun said.
Images of one cow digging what's likely a sun-drenched pasture while hanging out with other cows indoors has captured the imagination of folks on social media, who are comparing the experiment to the sci-fi classic "The Matrix," the paper said.
As most of you know, "The Matrix" is the tale of the earth as we know it being nothing more than a simulation, while our real bodies are afloat in goo-filled pods as we generate energy for evil machines.
The main character Neo — played by Keanu Reeves — is located by "freed" humans inside the Matrix simulation and given a choice between taking a red pill to escape his pod and begin living in the real world or taking a blue pill to forget the whole thing.
“You take the short grass, the story ends, you wake up in the pasture and believe whatever you want to believe," one witty observer wrote in reference to the cows' VR experience, the Sun reported. "You take the long grass, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the human hole goes.”
Another person offered the following quip, the paper said: “With the sequels The Mootrix Reuddered and The Mootrix Ruminations.”
