Trainers at Miami's Jungle Island Zoo are working specifically with 8-year-old twin orangutans, helping them draw, play games and work on new vocabulary as part of a mental stimulus program.
The animals are shown pictures of objects that the trainer identifies and then allows the orangutans to touch a corresponding button.
The software was initially made for people with autism.
The hope is this type of technology could eventually lead to the general public being able to talk with the apes.
