Using robots to understand animal cognition

Abstract

In recent years, robotic animals and humans have been used to answer a variety of questions related to behavior. In the case of animal behavior, these efforts have largely been in the field of behavioral ecology. They have proved to be a useful tool for this enterprise as they allow the presentation of naturalistic social stimuli whilst providing the experimenter with full control of the stimulus. In interactive experiments, the behavior of robots can be controlled in a manner that is impossible with real animals, making them ideal instruments for the study of social stimuli in animals. This paper provides an overview of the current state of the field and considers the impact that the use of robots could have on fundamental questions related to comparative psychology: namely, perception, spatial cognition, social cognition, and early cognitive development. We make the case that the use of robots to investigate these key areas could have an important impact on the field of animal cognition

Perception of artificial conspecifics by bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps)

“…The use of robotic animals in behavior and cognition research is rapidly increasing (Krause et al 2011;Miklósi & Gerencsér 2012;Mitri et al 2013) as it allows researchers to fully control the responses of a conspecific stimulus during an interaction without having to train often unreliable or unpredictable live animals (Frohnwieser et al 2016a). However, one of the greatest challenges in creating artificial animals for use in inter-actions with real animals is to understand how they are perceived by their live counterparts.…”

In-silico experiments of zebrafish behaviour: modeling swimming in three dimensions

“…Here, we have proposed the systematic integration of computer modelling as a new, unprecedented means to complement preclinical research on animal behaviour, focusing on the zebrafish-animal-model. While our simulations cannot replace in-vivo experiments, they can constitute an economical (time and budget-wise) complement to inform new experimental design and engineering approaches69707172, along with the definition of mathematically grounded measurable parameters73747576, leading to a consistent reduction of experimental subjects.…”

3D Printing: Applications in evolution and ecology

“…Some of these problems could be overcome by employing 3D printed shells into which robotics could be mounted. Robots are beginning to be used in studies of animal behavior (see Frohnwieser, Murray, Pike, & Wilkinson, for a review), and this simple adaptation may yield interesting results. Using models in a manipulative experimental approach allows greater control over specific elements such as size of ornamentation, coloration, movement, or removal of olfactory cues (e.g., Heinen‐Kay et al, ), but this is at the potential cost of realism.…”