The Virtual Reality Servo Ball is based on an active, servo-driven spherical treadmill. It allows a video-tracked freely moving animal (e.g. mouse, rat) to navigate in virtual space. The Ball can be used for investigating navigation, cognition, learning and memory. A wide range of brain circuits can be stimulated through diverse operant protocols and multi-modal sensory stimulation. For unrestrained animals, even 24-hour experimentation is possible.
The system is made available in cooperation with Humboldt University, Berlin.
“A 60 cm diameter sphere rests on a multidirectional roller system. The walking-compensation mechanism is performed by two orthogonal feedback-controlled position servos. The current 2D-position of the freely moving animal walking on the spherical treadmill is sensed optically.”
Kaupert U, Thurley K, Frei K, Bagorda F, Schatz A, Tocker G, Rapoport S, Derdikman D, Winter Y. (2017)
“Spatial cognition in a virtual reality home-cage extension for freely moving rodents.” J Neurophysiol. doi: 10.1152/jn.00630.2016
“Rats learned to use the automatically driven experimental setup and the virtual reality in a few days.
They learned that a landmark indicated the entrance to the virtual reality goal arm and walked down such arms to collect rewards from a liquid reward feeder at the 1m or 2m end.”
Kaupert U, Thurley K, Frei K, Bagorda F, Schatz A, Tocker G, Rapoport S, Derdikman D, Winter Y. (2017)
“Spatial cognition in a virtual reality home-cage extension for freely moving rodents.” J Neurophysiol. doi: 10.1152/jn.00630.2016
Overview of a VR ServoBall.
Moving rat in a virtual corridor.
