A rat-like robot for interacting with real rats

作者：Shi Qing^*; Ishii Hiroyuki; Kinoshita Shinichi; Konno Shinichiro; Takanishi Atsuo; Okabayashi Satoshi; Iida Naritoshi; Kimura Hiroshi

来源：Robotica, 2013, 31(08): 1337-1350.

DOI：10.1017/S0263574713000568

• Rat-like
• WR-4
• Robot-rat interaction
• Biomimetic robots
• Design
• Mobile robots

We developed a novel small rat-like robot called Waseda Rat No. 4 (WR-4) to interact with real rats. WR-4 can perform both rearing (rising up on its hind limbs) and rotating (body bending during movement) actions faster than live mature rats. After robot-rat interaction involving rearing and body grooming (body cuddling and head curling) actions of WR-4, real rats showed more activity and greater interest in the robot. Similar results evident from rat-rat interaction suggest that a rat-like robot is able to interact with rats in the same way as real rats. Furthermore, lower variances between the rat subjects in robot-rat interaction reveals that a rat-like robot can more effectively impact rat's behavior in a controllable, predictable way.

• 出版日期2013-12
• 单位北京理工大学