A Drawing-type Observation and Retrieval Method Focusing on the Abdominal Pattern of Penguins

Zoos and aquariums are where people can enjoy themselves while observing various creatures. However, merely observing the creatures casually does not lead to lasting memories of them. Some aquariums introduce animals by giving them names to encourage observation and enjoyment. Although such introductions help people develop an impression of the animals, they do not easily lead to lasting memories of the animals because it is challenging to remember the names. In this study, we focused on penguins with abdominal patterns and proposed a method to observe and search for penguins while drawing their patterns. In order to construct a dataset for penguin drawing analysis, we implemented a prototype system for drawing the pattern on a smartphone and conducted an experiment in which users watched videos or photos of penguins while drawing the pattern. We analyzed the similarity of the drawings and found that the drawings of the same penguin were highly similar to each other and that the drawings of the penguins with attractive patterns have a distinctive stroke order.