Quirky invention: A machine that trains crows to pick lost coins off the ground!
We all know that some animals are smarter than they appear. Take dogs and monkeys for example. But what comes to your mind when you think of smart birds? Well, Joshua Klein, an ordinary graduate student from New York University, thought of crows. He came up with the idea of a machine that trains these smart birds to carry out simple tasks. Intriguing, isn’t it? Here’s a low-down on this unique revolutionary invention known as CrowBox.
CrowBox at a glance
This machine trains captive crows to pick lost coins off the ground in their beaks in exchange for tiny treats such as peanuts. The aim is to train wild crows do the same. Powered by a laptop which can be 50 feet apart, the device comes with food dispensers, a 12-volt power supply, two motors, cables and sensors. CrowBox has a perch, a food tray and a funnel, all aimed to test a crow’s cognitive abilities and incentivise them to learn new tricks.
The inception of the idea
Klein’s hometown, Seattle, is home to a lot of crows. Now, this is a trouble for the residents. So, Joshua thought of putting to use the intelligence of these birds in order to save them from mass slaughter. The idea emerged in 2003 at a cocktail party. This is when he thought of training crows to carry out simple, yet useful human tasks. That’s how the CrowBox was born in 2013.
How does the machine train the crows?
Klein carried out a four-step experiment to train the crows. This is how it went. In the first two steps, crows were provided with coins, peanuts, and a vending machine to help familiarise them with the materials. Later, the crows were only given coins. When they did not receive peanuts, they became frustrated and started playing with the coins. Next, they banged the coins on the machine, because of which the coins entered the machine slot. This was followed by the next step, wherein the crows received a peanut. In the last step, the crows received nothing. But they were able to make the connect between the actions and the final outcome: Picking up the coin, putting it in the box and receiving a reward (peanuts in this case).
Interestingly, crows, also known as nature’s scavengers, can be trained to sort out garbage too.
The larger picture
Well, the CrowBox is the first step towards Klein’s goal to live in harmony with all creatures around! By training crows to work for humans, he aims to make use of all the animals that have adapted to human dwellings. People often kill rats and roaches because they are parasitic in nature. However, these animals possess some unique qualities. For example, roaches are immune to poisons. Rats can breed at a rapid pace. Instead of killing them, Klein seeks to establish harmony between them and humans.