Towards Future Interactive Intelligent Systems for Animals: Study and Recognition of Embodied Interactions

User-centered design applied to non-human animals is showing to be a promising research line known as Animal Computer Interaction (ACI), aimed at improving animals' wellbeing using technology. Within this research line, intelligent systems for animal entertainment could have remarkable benefits for their mental and physical wellbeing, while providing new ways of communication and amusement between humans and animals. In order to create user-centered interactive intelligent systems for animals, we first need to understand how they spontaneously interact with technology, and develop suitable mechanisms to adapt to the animals' observed interactions and preferences. Therefore, this paper describes a pioneer study on cats' preferences and behaviors with different technological devices. It also presents the design and evaluation of a promising depth-based tracking system for the detection of cats' body parts and postures. The contributions of this work lay foundations towards providing a framework for the development of future intelligent systems for animal entertainment.