Mad dogs or 2 Go Pro's and one mobile phone

I upgraded my equipment.
This time Moritz and Pepe carried a Go Pro. When we passed by the 'mad' dogs I made a video with my mobile phone.

There are four dogs which always bark like this when someone (human or animal) are passing. Sometimes they even bark after the cars. But my Ponys are not interested.

A challenge lies ahead

Because we spent three weeks in Berlin the forest in the Zollernalb were full of surprises for us. A few trees were fallen - big ones - and I asked myself if it has to do with the dryness. The forest is really dry and the ground looks parched.

The situation ahead makes me happy, you can't plan that and it is a challenge for the agility of my Ponys.

Point still behind the fallen tree

Not hectic, but wary

There we go, and looks confident

As a reward he tweaked his buddy in the butt

Point and Moritz handle such situation very different. Point don't like to go under something beneath and he reacts with panic when something is touching his back while passing. All in all he moves in a heave-ho movement under something through. Moritz is bearing the situation and moves through or under. And he don't care if something is touching him. He also is able to move something with his shoulder or back. That's typical Moritz. Point would never do that.
After passing the fallen tree the path is going straight ahead and thereby uphill, or in a hairpin curve downhill. My plan was going downhill and there we had the next alike situation which had do be solved in a different way.

Similar situation which has to be solved differently

Pepe could go under the tree, but the other two not. I like to see Pepe jumping and so he also had to go over the tree this time. The trunk reaches up to his chest, but he just made a standing jump. Point hesitated for two seconds and has to lift his legs a lot. But he is calm.
Moritz is running free today and has to solve the problem for himself.

Typical for Moritz is the head shaking when he has to 'think' about something or has to come to a decision. It's not unwillingly, but rather a sign of attention. Then he tries if he fits underneath and after that he walks quickly over the tree. He also has to stretch his legs.

I'm very satisfied with my 'pickings' (the video). Also I'm convinced that the collectively experience and solving the situation all together binds us together and strengthen the self-assurance of my Ponys.

Views - GoPro between the ears and a tape from 'the outside'

I wait for opportunities like this. They are rare and I have to have my techie stuff at hand.

I can't decide which view is 'better'. Both views have surprises which I would not see without knowing the other view. The view from the GoPro wobbles more, of course, but seems to be more lively because of that. But it's more stressful to look at.
There is an interesting part at 45 s. The cow is turning and is she threatening? At 1:52 s another cow starts this kind of movement too.
All in all: The tape from the outside is 'good', but also boring after you see it once. The thrill comes when I look between the ears and I can switch in this different view of life.

The visit in Linz

Time flies and I was sloppy with the documentation!
About the journey to Linz and stuff around I talked about in Friendly Hairy Creatures, but the visit at the Ars Electronica Future Lab is missing.
On our first day Marianne visited us at the trail rider hotel. Marianne met Pepe the first time, but as mentioned in the post he was pretty distracted with the other horses and his own hormones.

Marianne and Pepe

 We did a little walk all together because Marianne wanted to experience his ear movement at first hand.
After this we found a real good working space in the common room of the trail rider hotel. A long table was quickly filled with our stuff: Laptops, Handys, GoPro's and some more. WiFi was great and we started with our try outs.
If I want to know wheater the recording from the GoPro is fine I can check this via Handy. Unfortunately the quality of the record is not very good.
We had two things in mind for our first visit. The fitting of the GoPro and the cameras for the ears. When the GoPro is fixed on the halter between the ears, for Point and Moritz you can get a good impression. The ears are almost completly in the picture, also when they move to the back. But with Pepe all is so small and close together. Therefor Marianne developed a bridge and printed it out. The bridge brings the GoPro just a few centimeters to the back,

Mane and front hair are out of the way and the GoPro is fixed on a snaffle.

The idea for the snaffle comes from the need to fix the antenna.

Antenna as unicorn

Therefor the snaffle is not so solid as the halter out of leather and the GoPro hangs a little loose. The idea was to use Pepe's mane to fix the GoPro. And that meant I had to braid.

Almost artfully

After the drive to the Ars Electronica Center

And is caught after the fall

Basically it is a good solution when is not shaking his head all the time. But it's not a fast solution. I need some time for the braiding.
During the next days I drove to Linz every time. Beside our experiments with the prototyp I wanted to find out how stressable Pepe is. Sounds worst when it was. But is he ok with two hours trail riding (1h one way): Yes. How does he react to a complete new environment: Curious and unexcited.

Pepe im Hänger vor dem Ars Electronica Future Lab

Inside the trailer he is fine and can rest. Once I close the doors of the trailer he is calm, but with open doors the disturbance is high. Besides, we had a lot of attention. On one hand is was a good idea to park in front of the Future Lab and Marianne could go easily in and out and fix things. On the other hand there where a lot of traffic with people who wanted to make a photo or asked us questions.
Last step: Cameras for the ears.

Ohrenkameras und viel Gekabel

About how to fix these little cameras in and on these little ears we thought a lot. It is truly difficult and we found not really a satisfying solution. With the crochet hook Pepe stoped moving his ears. I provoked some situations, but the ears stood more or less in the middle and didn't move any more. The fit wasn't that tight, but as a solution it was out of question. Finally we choose hook and loo fastener which are self-bonding. Marianne searched for solutions with the lenght of the cabels (the ears are moving in a quit long distance) and the display of the cameras. Lot's of small things to take care about. We did it, but we were all a little bit stressed, including Pepe. The last difficulty was to put the camera in the right angel, otherwise you just see the ground.
All in all I'm not convinced with the ear cameras and would like to go for LED's.

Summary:
1. Prototyp: We learned a lot and we changed a lot. To be honest I had to be on site for a much longer time. Such an intensive program with an animal is exhausting and not necessarily crowned with success. We learned a lot and have to implement this.
2. Pepe: It is easy to travel with him even when he is alone, but it is also exhausting for him. A short time later I traveled with all three Ponys to Berlin. When his herd is close he is much calmer. Effort vs benefit? If possible I would try to travel as a herd.
3. Sabine: The responsibility for my animal is huge. Simultaneously to concentrate on the project and play an active part as usual is difficult and energy-sapping. For myself I'm not easy with strange surroundings and this has influence on Pepes wellbeing. There is a fine balance between us, if it is balanced all things come easy. But it's an effort to hold it in balance, I should not forget this.
4. Lesson Learned: Take much more time!

Intermediate result to the prototype

After the 3D Pony head has savely arrived in Linz at the Ars Electronica Futurelab the preparations for the first trial are running.
Pepe and I plan to visit Linz in round about 2,5 weeks. Pepe needs an health certificate from the medical officer for animals. Appointment is already made. Than we needed quarters for both of us. That was something new, and when I told a colleague about it, he started smiling and asked if I have booked a double room.
The wraparound cameras has to be placed at the head and each ear get an own little camera. Marianne and I agreed that the best way to fix the camera to the ears has to be a fly cap. I don't have any experiences with fly caps and since we are building a prototype and all has to fit exactly I grabbed a crochet hook.

Ears are crochet around

That's how it looks right now, not ready. Pepe takes it with equanimity, or better I try to take it calmly. Normally I need a halter and a cord, sometimes if necessary a brush and now that Crochet ears.

Meanwhile in Linz it looks like this:

Ears are looking at robots

There it is the fascinating 3D Pony head. The ears look at robots, how could it be otherwise at Ars Electronica Futurelab ...

Because Marianne and I step only on new land we thought a lot where to meet. I'm all in all 50 km away from Linz. Pepe need a proper quarter and the usual business hotels in Linz didn't hit the pattern.
Few days ago I wanted again make some experiments with the GoPro. When I tried to apply it to the Pony head I noticed that I had forgotten a really tiny part. It happens all the time when you work with technical odds and ends. Anyway I thought I have to be at the Futurelab with Pepe, otherwise we will have to many problems. And here we go, we have a special parking permission for my car and a horse trailer. And a requirement to take the pony droppings with us. Told you: New land where ever we go. And that's the parking ground:

Parking space in front of the Ars Electronica Futurelab

Pepe's head as a 3D print

Well packed did the head arrived and I had just one morning for a 'photo-shooting'. Now the head is in Linz, Austria at the Ars Electronica Futurelab for the prototype setup.

But in short my feelings when I had unpacked the head and hold it in my hands: deep respect, wonder, joy ... He felt fragile, because the head is very light. Somehow I don't want to give him away ... I think of him as some sort of art!

From the 3D scan to the print job

It's been a while that I wrote here about the 3D scanning of the Ponyheads. Meanwhile happened a lot and before and during Easter time mails were flown between Stefan Nitz, Marianne Ternek and myself to an fro. Stefan had worked a lot with the data, I got a lot of orders for remeasuring Pepe's head and Marianne looked with a very professional eye at the intermediate results.

Request for measurement from Stefan looked like this

Pepe was very patient

Comments from Marianne often looked like this:

It felt like hundreds of emails and I think the tension rised with all of us. Easter Monday was the last day and Stefan presented the final version here. Meanwhile the look of the pictures had changed a lot.

Almost final version

Our teamwork was fascinating. Marianne and Stefan had never met or even phoned. I only have seen both of them once. But we operated well together, as if it was our 10th project. For all of us it was unknown territory and therefor I think this teamwork was kind of unprecedented and I like to think back to this intensive time. We often just discuss questions of proportion like what about the muzzle, what to do with this huge amount of hair or are the nostrils ok? By all these questions I tried to measure or made photos, Marianne surprised us with pictures she found in my own Blog: Friendly Hairy Creature.
Tuesday after Easter the print should start. All in all the whole head needed 52 h printing time. During the week I couldn't help but asked Stefan how is it going, because I started counting hours beginning on Tuesday morning. Of course by a job like this, there are also some preparations on the printer side.
Last question was about the material. The suggestion was a sort of polypropylen that means it would be transparent.
In between Stefan sent us a video with the following words: "Pepe looks good in the printer. Attached a video - but you can't see much. The laserpoint drives over the model and are heating up the material."

Finally a picture from the head. More pictures are in the next post. We took some and I want to share them separately.

1:1 Druck von Pepes Kopf

Moritz as Mr GoPro

Moritz is wearing the GoPro between his ears. We walk through our village, than we stay a while in our garden and after that we walk back through the forest.

At the moment we - our research colleagues in Linz and I - try to find out how the hearing of the Ponys works. There are not many studies, but they say that the localization of a noise works with a variance which is greater than 20 degree.
My last try with flicking and calling I don't call serious. My Ponys knew that I didn't want anything from them. For that it seems for me, that you have to consider in what kind of situation the Ponys are. So is it a natural or a artificial situation. Therefor my last post with the three videos show an artificial situation. We were moving and I did something by the side what did not affect them. Ponys are made for walking. For them the world was perfect, because we started to walk and from the trail they knew we were not heading home. If I try to translate this, it means: Variety in a very positive meaning.

For the better understanding: Almost every day since more than 10 years I walk or jog with my Ponys, even if it is just for 15 min. Mostly we are in a set of three (or four with me). That's our daily situation and we know the region in a radius about 10 km pretty well. Means that's their territory. I don't ride, I jog or walk with them. According to the direction I choose they know whether it will be a quick round or a longer hike. My be I imagine that, but my impression is that they start to walk faster and the head goes up, if I have time for a hike.

Out of the entire recording of this day I choose 6 sections. They all have different characteristics:

1. The postman comes

First he observes - up the road, down the road - than he focus. I thing that the kink at the end of Moritz ears gives it all a kind of dramaturgy.

2. A roadblock - that's new

There was a tree felling in our village and therefor the passage was blocked. That's also the reason while I was able to walk through our village during the week. Normally I don't do that because of the trucks. The Ponys don't mind, but the whole situation is to dangerous. Cars and trucks are too fast, and to close while overtaking etc.
A Pony is a flight animal, but as I said that's their territory and therefor they don't spoke when they see new stuff, but instead start to explore. So to see in this video, the hooves carries the ears to the place!

3. A car passes

This situation I always wanted to see through Pony eyes. What happens when a car pass? It is heard before seen and it is not really interesting and instantly unimportant when it drove past.


4. Something will happen

This video was a surprise. The Ponys stood a while tied to the horse trailer. Sometimes I was in the house, but also while on the phone walking through the garden - with Stefan Nitz from MakerLounge. I wanted to know if he needs more datas about Pepe's head.
When I clean the paddock my Ponys knew when I'm close to finish. They group together for getting the halter on. In this video I suspect that they hear in my voice that I'm about to leave. I'm in the house and talk to Alexander. There we are again about intention and which powerful signals we are sending via our body, voice etc.

5. Scanning the hillside

This situation I saw more than once in the videos. When the Pony runs free, occasionally the Ponys stops and 'scans'. When they on the rope, I make the pace, so there is not place for that. When they run free, I have a more natural situation, even though they have to follow the herd. 

6. Finale with a view of Point

With this snippet I want to draw the viewer in our situation. Most times it looks like this ... Besides look at the ears from Point.

After scanning so much video material I'm slightly confused. I'm fusing with the Pony while watching through his ears and occasionally there is this 'alien'. In black clothes with a hoodie, inconspicuously and seems to belong to the group. Fascinating hunch ...

Ear movement with Ponys

Movement of the ears from a pony
The question came from my research colleague in Linz:
"Do the ears turn in your direction if you pass the pony on the left or the right? Or, if you make a noise (like finger snapping or clapping your hands), do the ears turn in your direction?"
Questions like this are kind of challenging me. Day by day I walk among my ponies. I think I know a lot about them, but when it comes to a concrete question like this ...
I thought that I could provoke a reaction with the ears, but on the other hand you can see clearly they know pretty well that nothing serious is going on. See for yourself!

Task: 3D scan from Ponyheads

For some time I try to figure out how to scan pony heads in 3D?
Therefor I talked with different Daimler colleagues and they all agreed: Statically no problem, but a breathing pony head - fascinating task.  So, okay thank you and all that without little knowledge in 3D scanning. But there was one colleague - who knows - who did some research and made contact to a small company. He also talked to the owner and assured me about his reliability.
Makerlounge 3D-Studio and he advertizes with scans from live animals.
Last Sunday it happend. Stefan Nitz came from Goslar. I was a little nervous, but: it was a very pleasant adventure.

Stefan Nitz from Makerlounge says Hello to Pepe

My preparations with the ponys were: Trying to get the hair out of the face. Therefor I braided the hair, so that it will be easier to remove them from the 3D scan. The goal is to have the heads printed out as accurate as possible. For the most exact adjustment of the prototypes.
The Ponys should stand still. So how to achieve that. We started with Pepe as an easy guinea pig:
1. I stand beside him and holded the hair away - it didn't worked.
2. I kneeled beside him and hold him in my arms - he fall asleep in my arms and he was very heavy. So also not a practically idea especially for the bigger ones.

Trial with Moritz

The next picture I like very much. The clever Haflinger didn't understand what I want from him: STAND STILL! But you can see my joy and proudness -- Clever boy, doesn't make it easier.
We don't have pictures with Point. During the whole process suddenly he stands in the middle and dozed. Stefan Nitz took the chance and the first good scan was fetched.

Therefor we came to the following solution. I don't like it from an optical way.

Lashing with two ropes

But there was more to do. At the beginning we tried to be calm. But the right way was a smooth way of talking. And one after the other dozed of. Stefan Nitz is a very calm person with a soft voice. Quite perfect for the handling with ponies.

A look over the shoulder

I have never seen something like that

The data were send to me last week and the colleaques from Ars Electronica Future Lab showed me how they look like.

Moritz in the scan

Point in the scan

Pepe in the scan, in one case in my arms

Next task: Who is printing the Pony head in 1:1?
Stays facinating!

The communicating pony head

Which parts of the Ponyhead are expressional and thereby involved in the communication process? With the following pictures I try to highlight the spots.

Ear: Posture of the ear, root and top of the ear

Eye: Posture of the pupil. The area at the front at above
the eye can move.

Nostrils: Opening and muscles around the nostrils. 

All signals together are giving the hole picture.

Three examples with Point:

On guard, because Pepe hold his halter with his teeth.
Fun can get serious very fast.

Point is in pain. The whole muscles around the nuzzles are cramped.
The lips are pressed closed together.

He is concentrated but relaxed. The jaws are tight,
because he is eating. Nuzzles are relaxed.

Pepe after jogging: Relaxed and satisfied.

Attentive, but not alarmed. Both turn the head, both each has one 
ear and Moritz also an eye to the front.

The whole body language signals, no stress. All Ponys
have one ear to the camera.

For our project I focus on the Ponyhead. But of course a Pony has a lot more to communicate with!

The third one: Pepe

At this video you should look with a portion of humor. I want to gave a look 'behind the scenery', how photos and videos are produced. So, please smile!

Pepe's point of perspective comes from much more below. Head, ears are a lot smaller, therefor he has much more hair ... So the ears are just caught in the camera picture.

As always: Look at the ears.

At the beginning and at the end you see the view from external.

Decision has to be made by Point

This time Point is wearing the GoPro between his ears. All in all he is much more restless with his head than Moritz, but this is his character. Besides he runs free.
The snippet happens at a parting of a ways, all in all 5 different paths are leaving.
In between he is scratching his mouth at his leg.
First he walks in front, than we overtake in his back and he follows.

After seeing this video a lot of people say that the scratching seems like a displacement activity.

First attempt of empathy

What is the issue here?

About the empathy into the world of how a pony sees and perceive.

The ears!
The biker is sensed early and is taken 'between the ears'.
In the second part: Normally that gate is closed. The path you see borders the meadow of the ponies and for that belongs to their territory. What I didn't know - and saw later - there were people.

About SLAP

SLAP – See Like A Pony
With SLAP we want to make robotics more understandable. Clifford Nass drew the comparison of robots with domesticated animals. They are useful, but also dangerous. But, how do we comunicate with animals? How does it work?

So don't hesitate, design a test: SLAP - See Like a Pony.
As guinea pigs we like to use my ponys. They are as creatures alien to us, but also familiar. And they can develop a lot of kinetic energy.
Neuroscience has a concept for interaction called Mind Reading. It works with living beings: we represent them in our own minds, and then try to model their mood to predict their actions. Now we try that in a novel way with our ponies.
Hope it will bring us insight for robotic interaction, and fun!