Biologically inspired robots elicit a robust fear response in zebrafish

Fabrizio Ladu; Tiziana Bartolini; Sarah G. Panitz; Sachit Butail; Simone Macrì; Maurizio Porfiri

doi:10.1117/12.2083633

26 March 2015 Biologically inspired robots elicit a robust fear response in zebrafish

Fabrizio Ladu, Tiziana Bartolini, Sarah G. Panitz, Sachit Butail, Simone Macrì, Maurizio Porfiri

Proceedings Volume 9429, Bioinspiration, Biomimetics, and Bioreplication 2015; 94290Q (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2083633
Event: SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring, 2015, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

We investigate the behavioral response of zebrafish to three fear-evoking stimuli. In a binary choice test, zebrafish are exposed to a live allopatric predator, a biologically-inspired robot, and a computer-animated image of the live predator. A target tracking algorithm is developed to score zebrafish behavior. Unlike computer-animated images, the robotic and live predator elicit a robust avoidance response. Importantly, the robotic stimulus elicits more consistent inter-individual responses than the live predator. Results from this effort are expected to aid in hypothesis-driven studies on zebrafish fear response, by offering a valuable approach to maximize data-throughput and minimize animal subjects.

Citation Download Citation

Fabrizio Ladu, Tiziana Bartolini, Sarah G. Panitz, Sachit Butail, Simone Macrì, and Maurizio Porfiri "Biologically inspired robots elicit a robust fear response in zebrafish", Proc. SPIE 9429, Bioinspiration, Biomimetics, and Bioreplication 2015, 94290Q (26 March 2015); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2083633

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