Cow with headset
© Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Moscow Region
Theories that we all live in a simulated world are debatable, but it may actually become a thing for Russian cows as farmers believe virtual reality could be used to trick the animals into giving more milk.

It was a cold and murky November day in the Moscow Region, but the cows at one farm were absolutely sure they were grazing a green field in the middle of summer.

The first trials of VR headsets, specially designed for the cattle, has shown a decrease in the level of anxiety and improved mood among the test subjects, an article on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Moscow Region said.

Cow in field
© Sputnik / Yuliy Ahromeev
Cows sporting futuristic goggles also improved the mood on the internet as commentators said they were jealous and wanted such headsets for themselves to survive the infamous Russian winter. "That's the cyberpunk that we deserved," one of the comments read, while many also remembered the popular meme: "How do you like it, Elon Musk?"

Cow with headset
© Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Moscow Region
But the veterinarians and IT experts behind the project are dead serious as they developed the headset especially to match the anatomy of the cows. The visuals presented to the animals were also adjusted in accordance with the fact that those animals have a much better perception of the colors from the red portion of the spectrum.

The test was hailed as a success, with the effect of virtual reality on milk yield to become the subject of further complex studies. Many international surveys prove that happy cows produce more and better quality milk - so putting them in the Matrix may really be a solution.