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Giraffe Feeding Enrichment to Promote Natural Locomotive Patterns
Team: Giraffe Whisperers
- Program: Center for Leadership Education
- Course: Multidisciplinary Engineering Design 2 EN. 660.346
- Year: 2023
Project Description:
Our team was tasked by the Maryland Zoo to create a solution that encourages natural foraging patterns of giraffes, in order to promote locomotion for physical and mental stimulation. Our solution is an auger-based electromechanical system that distributes food to roaming giraffes. The device presents audio cues at random intervals and tracks a giraffe’s locomotion using motion sensors. If the giraffe seeks out the location of the audio cue, they are rewarded with food in a randomized quantity. We integrated randomization of both food opportunity and food quantity into our solution in order to simulate a wild environment as much as possible.
Project Photo:
A giraffe enjoys a treat while tuning into their surroundings at the Maryland Zoo.