HATO - Seeing the World Through a Chicken’s Eyes

Finding a Story Behind the Technology

HATO approached us with the ambition to create a virtual reality experience. The technology was decided, but the story behind it was still open. Together, we shaped that initial brief into a clear concept: let people experience the influence of light from the perspective of the animal itself.

Project Overview

HATO Agricultural Lighting develops specialised LED and UV lighting solutions designed to improve animal welfare and farm performance. To communicate why the right lighting matters, we created an immersive VR experience that places users inside a commercial poultry environment, not as a visitor, but as a chicken.

By allowing people to see and feel the difference between two contrasting lighting conditions, the experience turns a technical subject into something immediate, emotional and easy to understand.

“It wasn’t enough to explain how lighting affects animal welfare. We wanted people to step inside that world and experience the difference through a chicken’s eyes.”

The Challenge

The impact of lighting on animal welfare can be difficult to communicate through research, product specifications or traditional presentations alone. Our challenge was to make this technical subject immediately understandable through an experience that reflects how chickens perceive their environment, including their lower viewpoint and capability to see ultraviolet wavelengths.

Solution - Making the Impact of Light Tangible

Using real-time 3D and VR technology, we created two contrasting environments experienced from a chicken’s perspective. One shows a calm setting with balanced lighting, while the other demonstrates how poor lighting can become harsh and stressful. An interactive UV mode also reveals part of the visual spectrum chickens can see but humans cannot.

To ensure smooth performance inside the headset, we optimised a large aviary filled with hundreds of animated chickens while maintaining visual detail. The result transforms HATO’s technical expertise into something visitors can see, feel and understand.