The story behind this strange photo circulating social media can be traced back to this press release from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Moscow Region. Apparently, Moscow-area farmers secured modified VR goggles on cows to find out if it improved their emotional well-being–or shall I say moood—and of course, their milk production.
VR designers were hired to create a “unique summer field simulated program” giving the cows a more pleasing landscape than just an ordinary farm. And yes, the goggles were specially designed for cows’ “structural features” to help them see accurately.
The project seemed to have worked—at least on a surface level. The initial test recorded a decrease in the cows’ anxiety and a boost in their overall well-being. However, the correlation to producing quality milk is uncertain and plans for a more “comprehensive” study are on the works.
At the end of the day, what we know is that someone took their time to create a highly-convincing mock-up of VR headsets for cows. It may just be a marketing ploy or the answer to better agriculture. But for now, that’s what we can milk from this amoosing story.
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Photo from Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Moscow Region