For a better understanding of animals: first use of virtual "pig glasses"

Since 2021, Vion has been using VR goggles that depict the way cattle’s eyes function, allowing users to experience the visual perception of the animal’s environment. Now the counterpart for pigs’ eyes has followed for the first time.

Last week, Vion used the virtual pig goggles developed by Peter Menzel, Managing Director of C.O.M. GmbH Wetzlar, and Benito Weise, Coordinator of Inter-company Training at the Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture, for the first time at the Crailsheim site. The prototype of the “pig glasses” was completed in spring 2024 and has now been tested for the first time in a slaughterhouse. Vion is now extending its commitment to greater animal understanding to pigs. The VR goggles allow users to experience the environment from the animals’ perspective. Innovative software simulates the specific visual perception of the animals and transfers this to the VR goggles. “The perception of pigs differs significantly from that of humans and also from that of cattle. Pigs have a wider field of vision, their visual acuity is lower than that of humans and they react more sensitively to movement,” explains Dr Veronika Weber, veterinarian and Director Quality Assurance & Operations Vion Germany, the background to the animal VR goggles.

“Pigs, like cattle, are dichromats and see in the blue, yellow and green range. But what makes a decisive difference when wearing the VR pig glasses is the height of the eyes. They are only 30 centimetres above the floor. This results in a completely different field of vision to that of humans or cattle. Once you have experienced for yourself how animals perceive their environment, you can understand and deal with them much better. This automatically improves animal welfare,” adds Peter Menzel , Managing Director of C.O.M. Computer Output Management GmbH.

Vion uses these innovative glasses to train employees and animal welfare officers and to optimise construction measures in slaughterhouses. In Crailsheim, Vion’s combined slaughterhouse, both variants were used: for the first time for pigs and again for cattle. “The effect of the VR glasses was simply incredible. All the participants said afterwards that they now had a much better understanding of the animals and the way they move. I couldn’t wait to finally try out the pig goggles myself and I’m really impressed,” says Dr Veronika Weber.