Open University lecturer Bernie Clark, explains why the two examples were chosen for the T224 course.

Why milking and mirrors?

What have computers got to do with cows? Can a wooden mirror help us understand the computing behind digital image capture? Neil Rowse is the first dairy farmer in the UK to use a computerised  system that gives cows control over when they are milked, and allows him to remotely monitor the welfare of individual animals. Daniel Rozin has created an computer operated mirror made from 835 tilting wooden tiles. With the help of a digital camera and a computer programme, the wooden tiles mimic the digital pixel information and tilt themselves into a ‘reflection’. This material is taken from The Open University course T224 Computers and processors.