{"689945":{"#nid":"689945","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Zoo Atlanta Elephants Embrace New GT-Designed Interactive Enrichment Wall","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETitan, Msholo, Kelly, and Tara are just like any other African elephants \u2014 intelligent creatures that require mental stimulation in their everyday lives.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThey would normally get this in their natural habitats while foraging for food and staying alert to predators that might target calves.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/zooatlanta.org\/animal\/african-elephant\/\u0022\u003Ethe four elephants reside at Zoo Atlanta\u003C\/a\u003E, so they don\u2019t have to worry about these things.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat\u2019s why zoo caretakers are always on the lookout for better ways to help their elephants exercise their brains.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe caretakers at Zoo Atlanta found one when they met\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ariannamastali.org\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EArianna Mastali\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, a Ph.D. student in Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Interactive Computing. Mastali designed an audio enrichment wall to help stimulate Zoo Atlanta\u2019s elephants.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMany zoos build concrete enrichment walls to foster elephant problem-solving and critical thinking. The walls usually have holes for the elephants to reach through with their trunks as they search for food, treats, or playful objects on the other side.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMastali enhanced Zoo Atlanta\u2019s enrichment wall by adding an interactive audio component. A nearby speaker system emits distinctive low-frequency tones when an elephant sticks its trunk into a hole.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThey\u2019re intelligent creatures that require a lot of complexity in their habitat,\u201d Mastali said. \u201cWe wanted to add to that complexity while giving them more control.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EExperimenting in the Wild\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMastali\u2019s system uses cameras and computer vision to detect when an elephant\u2019s trunk is inside a hole and then sends a signal to the speakers to play a sound.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMastali is a member of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/animalab.cc.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Animal Lab\u003C\/a\u003E, directed by School of IC professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/people\/melody-jackson\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMelody Jackson\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. The lab often uses sensing technology to enhance animal wellness.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMastali said she tried incorporating sensing devices into her project several times. She constructed an insert made of PVC pipe and attached a sensor to its base that used infrared beams to detect the elephant\u2019s trunk.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, she said it was difficult to account for the elephants\u2019 strength. Their trunks would break the insert after a day or two.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe pivoted toward computer vision to remove the risk of damage and keep the enrichment wall as close to natural as possible.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cA big lesson we learned was that using existing materials the elephants are already familiar with was the best way to do things, and it simplified our design process,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShane Rosse\u003C\/strong\u003E, a student in Georgia Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/omscs.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EOnline Master of Science in Computer Science\u003C\/a\u003E (OMSCS) program, assisted Mastali with the computer vision component.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEnhancing Environmental Enrichment\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMastali observed the elephants\u2019 behavior at the wall seven days before and seven days after the installation of the audio enrichment system.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe number of times the elephants approached the wall after installation increased by 176%, and time spent at the wall increased by 71%\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe weren\u2019t sure at first if they would care that much, so it was great to see how much time they spent at the wall, especially our less dominant females,\u201d said Kirby Miller, senior elephant caretaker at Zoo Atlanta. \u201cThey seem to like it the most.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMiller said the elephants used to only approach the wall when they knew there was food behind it. That started to change after the audio enrichment system was installed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe would be off somewhere else, and we\u2019d hear the speaker playing the sounds, and we knew there wasn\u2019t any food back there,\u201d Miller said. \u201cTara had her trunk in one of the holes, just listening to the sound. That let us know they do like it, and they\u2019re very curious about it.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMiller said because elephants have sharp memories and acute senses of hearing and smell, their habitats must be designed with that in mind.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EZoo Atlanta\u2019s African Savanna elephant habitat was redesigned in 2019. In addition to the enrichment wall, it includes a bathing pond, two waterfalls, and swing boom devices that hold hay for elephants to eat as they would in the wild.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMiller said elephants sheltered at any zoo or conservation would benefit from enrichment devices enhanced by technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI think anything they can participate in that gives them choice and control is great for all zoo elephants,\u201d she said. \u201cIt depends on the elephants, but with our elephants, they can hear much higher frequencies than we can. That noise isn\u2019t that loud for us, but for them, they\u2019re feeling that noise, and they can hear much more, which makes it more stimulating for them.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech Ph.D. student Arianna Mastali designed an interactive audio enrichment wall for Zoo Atlanta\u0027s four African elephants. A speaker system plays low-frequency tones when an elephant inserts its trunk into one of the wall\u0027s holes, deteced by computer vision.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech is working with Zoo Atlanta to design an audio enrichment wall for African elephants."}],"uid":"36530","created_gmt":"2026-04-22 14:20:53","changed_gmt":"2026-04-22 14:44:15","author":"Nathan Deen","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-04-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-04-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680026":{"id":"680026","type":"image","title":"DSC_2500.jpeg","body":null,"created":"1776867679","gmt_created":"2026-04-22 14:21:19","changed":"1776867679","gmt_changed":"2026-04-22 14:21:19","alt":"Arianna Mastali stands in front of an African elephant in the background at Zoo Atlanta.","file":{"fid":"264259","name":"DSC_2500.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/22\/DSC_2500.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/22\/DSC_2500.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":203094,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/04\/22\/DSC_2500.jpeg?itok=g1EF8go7"}},"680027":{"id":"680027","type":"image","title":"DSC_0455.jpeg","body":null,"created":"1776867787","gmt_created":"2026-04-22 14:23:07","changed":"1776867787","gmt_changed":"2026-04-22 14:23:07","alt":"Elephant at Zoo Atlanta sticks its trunk into a hole in the enrichment wall","file":{"fid":"264260","name":"DSC_0455.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/22\/DSC_0455.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/22\/DSC_0455.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":429358,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/04\/22\/DSC_0455.jpeg?itok=7sLBTWa8"}},"680028":{"id":"680028","type":"image","title":"DSC_0522.jpeg","body":null,"created":"1776867847","gmt_created":"2026-04-22 14:24:07","changed":"1776867847","gmt_changed":"2026-04-22 14:24:07","alt":"Elephant uses its trunk to grab hay that is suspended in the air","file":{"fid":"264261","name":"DSC_0522.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/22\/DSC_0522.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/22\/DSC_0522.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":455927,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/04\/22\/DSC_0522.jpeg?itok=7GaCnto5"}},"680029":{"id":"680029","type":"image","title":"DSC_0500.jpeg","body":null,"created":"1776867908","gmt_created":"2026-04-22 14:25:08","changed":"1776867908","gmt_changed":"2026-04-22 14:25:08","alt":"Zoo Atlanta visitor walk past the elephant exhibit with an elephant in the background","file":{"fid":"264262","name":"DSC_0500.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/22\/DSC_0500.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/22\/DSC_0500.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":235033,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/04\/22\/DSC_0500.jpeg?itok=0F8wEbaE"}},"680030":{"id":"680030","type":"video","title":"Play That Trunk Music: Elephant Enrichment x Computer Science","body":"\u003Cp\u003EElephants require mental stimulation in their everyday lives, which is why Zoo Atlanta redesigned its African Savanna habitat that shelters four African elephants in 2019. The habitat includes an elephant enrichment wall that has numerous holes for elephants to stick their trunks into as they search for food on the other side.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe elephant enrichment wall at Zoo Atlanta recently received an upgrade thanks to a Georgia Tech Ph.D. student. Arianna Mastali designed an audio enrichment system that uses computer vision to detect when an elephant sticks its trunk into the enrichment wall as it searches for food. The system then sends a signal to play a unique tone from a nearby speaker that corresponds to each hole. So far, Mastali has found that elephant wall interactions have increased by 176%, and the elephants are visiting the wall even when there isn\u0027t food behind it.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1776868980","gmt_created":"2026-04-22 14:43:00","changed":"1776868980","gmt_changed":"2026-04-22 14:43:00","video":{"youtube_id":"ANlIAhp4YTs","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ANlIAhp4YTs"}}},"media_ids":["680026","680027","680028","680029","680030"],"groups":[{"id":"47223","name":"College of Computing"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"50876","name":"School of Interactive Computing"}],"categories":[{"id":"42901","name":"Community"},{"id":"153","name":"Computer Science\/Information Technology and Security"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"188776","name":"go-research"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"9153","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"6765","name":"zoo atlanta"},{"id":"174264","name":"elephants"},{"id":"3237","name":"enrichment"},{"id":"104701","name":"animal computer interaction lab"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}