[This article originally appeared in print as "Getting the Rat's-Eye View."]
Rats are among the most studied creatures on the planet, but scientists typically observe them at a distance. Now humans can interact with rodents on equal terms, thanks to a mind-bending experiment conceived by virtual reality pioneers Mel Slater and Mandayam Srinivasan.
The experiment, described in a recent paper in the journal PLOS One, consists of two real locations plus one virtual environment: a lab in Barcelona; a 1-foot-wide arena in an animal care facility seven miles away; and a virtual version of that arena online.
In the Barcelona lab, a human participant straps on high-definition goggles to see the virtual arena through the eyes of an avatar, or digital double. When he turns, his avatar turns; he can move his double forward and back using a hand-held remote.
Jay Smith/DISCOVER
The participant’s movements are also transferred to a ...
