Now, there's a smartphone for dolphins to play games

Illustration/Uday Mohite

Researchers have developed an underwater computer touchscreen exclusively for dolphins to play games.

With the smartphone built just for them and a little bit of training, dolphins can play games like Whack-a-Mole, the researchers found. As the eight-feet underwater touchpad allows dolphins to interact and make choices, it could be used to investigate dolphin intelligence and communication by providing them choice and control over a number of activities.

The touchscreen features specialised dolphin-friendly "apps" and a symbolic keyboard to provide the dolphins with opportunities to interact with the system, Rockefeller University said.

To make the system safe for the dolphins, the touchscreen has been installed outside an underwater viewing window, so that no parts of the device are in the pool. The animals' touch is detected optically.