Researchers at Cornell University have developed a new technology that allows mice to experience virtual reality in a more realistic way. The innovation, called MouseGoggles, uses tiny, low-cost parts borrowed from smartwatches and other existing devices to create a VR system specifically designed for rodents. In experiments with mice wearing the goggles, the animals appeared to vividly respond to simulated stimuli.
The researchers believe that their MouseGoggles are a substantial improvement over standard mice VR setups, which often use clunky treadmills surrounded by computer or projection screens. “It definitely benefited from the hacker ethos of taking parts that are built for something else and then applying them to some new context,” lead scientist Matthew Isaacson, a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell, explained. “The perfect size display, as it turns out, for a mouse VR headset is pretty much already made for smartwatches.
We were lucky that we didn’t need to build or design anything from scratch; we could easily source all the inexpensive parts we needed.”
To confirm the effectiveness of their system, the researchers exposed the mice to various stimuli, measuring their brain activity and observing their behavior. In one test, they tracked how the mice reacted to a gradually approaching dark blotch that could have represented a potential predator. “When we tried this kind of test in the typical VR setup with big screens, the mice did not react at all,” Isaacson said.
MouseGoggles: advancing mouse VR technology
“But almost every single mouse, the first time they see it with the goggles, they jump. They have a huge startle reaction.
They really did seem to think they were getting attacked by a looming predator.”
The team’s findings were published earlier this month in the journal Nature Methods. The development of more realistic VR for mice could have various benefits, according to the researchers. Accurate VR experiments might allow scientists to better map and understand the brain activity of mice modeled to have Alzheimer’s, particularly in regions tied to spatial navigation and memory.
It might also improve basic research studies testing potential treatments for brain disorders. Isaacson and his colleagues aren’t the only researchers developing VR systems for mice, but they say theirs is the first to incorporate tracking of the eyes and pupils. They’re already working on a lightweight, mobile VR setup that could be used with larger rodents like rats or tree shrews.
They’re also hoping to include more upgrades in a future iteration, such as finding a way to simulate taste and smell.
