Scientists give parrot a Web browser
08:07 Friday 7th July 2000
Will Knight
African grey parrot Arthur has his own screen and mouse, and whiles away
the hours surfing the Internet
Parrots can now browse the Internet courtesy of researchers at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US.
A four-year-old African grey parrot called Arthur has been given a
specially adapted computer screen and mouse in order to surf the Internet.
The MIT scientists says that by clicking on the mouse the parrot can bring
up the image of another African Grey parrot, an owl, his owner, and a car.
The scientists say the experiment is not just a gimmick. "What we're trying
to do is to build a Web browser for parrots," Irene Pepperberg, one of the
scientists involved and also Arthur's owner, tells New Scientist magazine.
African greys are believed to be among the most intelligent and communicative
animals in the world and the MIT scientists hope that the experiments will
determine just how smart they are.
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