Animal–Computer Interaction: New Horizons in Animal Welfare
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Welfare".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 September 2025 | Viewed by 6760
Special Issue Editors
Interests: animal–computer interaction; multispecies interaction design; animal-centered computing; animal-centered design; biosemiotics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: behavioural ecology; animal welfare; animal conservation; animal welfare-centered habitat design; zoos
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Improving animal welfare through animal-centered technologies, designed from the perspective and for the benefit of animals, is a fundamental aim for the field of animal–computer interaction (ACI). Particularly with the rise of technologies such as artificial intelligence and the internet of things, technological interventions have the potential to radically transform welfare provisioning by:
- monitoring and processing objectively behavioural and physiological data to improve our understanding of the immediate and long-term psychological and physical needs of animals;
- providing dynamic settings and opportunities for animals to fulfill their species-specific behavioral and cognitive needs, as well as biologically appropriate levels of control over their environment and activities.
For this Special Issue, we invite contributions that exemplify how an animal-centered perspective on the design of computing technologies may inform novel approaches for improving the welfare of animals in different contexts, whether in managed or wild settings. We also invite contributions that discuss what limitations such approaches might suffer from, what risks they might pose and how these might be addressed. We particularly welcome transdisciplinary contributions among researchers and practitioners with expertise in interaction design, ergonomics, software engineering, artificial intelligence, ubiquitous computing, animal cognition, behavior, welfare and management and other relevant fields.
Prof. Dr. Clara Mancini
Dr. Jake Veasey
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- animal–computer interaction
- interaction design
- animal-centered research
- animal-centered design
- animal-centered computing
- animal-centered technology
- animal welfare
- animal behavior
- animal cognition
- animal management
- animal welfare approaches
- animal ethics
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.