In recent years, scientists have found new and improved ways to interact and “speak” with apes, through the use of laptops, computer screens and even iPads.

Researchers at the Bonobo Hope Great Ape Trust Sanctuary in Des Moines have developed a variety of custom software in order to communicate with these primates. But they need more funding to make their Bonobo Chat app a reality, and provide each of their apes with personal, interconnected keyboards that they can carry around wherever they go.

They also want to add the ability for the app to automatically translate English speech to Lexigrams that the apes understand, and vice versa. In addition, they want to allow the apes to use the app to interact with their environment, opening doors, operating vending machines and even operating robots. Yes, apes will soon be controlling their own robots from their iPads.

The Bonobo Chat App project is currently up for funding on Kickstarter, with pledges starting at $25.

This imaginative t-shirt by Akron, Ohio illustrator psychoreindeer reimagines that fateful monkey moment with a gigantic Atari joystick in place of the big black slab. According to reindeer, in addition to the schmancy silkscreened artwork, the t-shirt “comes with two sleeves and a even a hole to stick your head through”. Bonus!

While the apes in the film might not have understood the meaning of the monolith (not to mention most of us who sat through the nearly 3-hour long movie either), the primates on this t-shirt probably spent the rest of the day debating between a round of Pitfall or River Raid once they found the joystick.

I guess we now know why apes have opposable thumbs.