Behavioral Teleporting of Individual Ethograms onto Inanimate Robots: Experiments on Social Interactions in Live Zebrafish.

Maurizio Porfiri,Simone Macrì,Mert Karakaya

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2020.101418

Maurizio Porfiri, Simone Macrì + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2020.101418

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Journal: iScience	Publication Date: Jul 29, 2020
Citations: 8	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: New York University, Istituto Superiore di Sanità

Abstract

SummarySocial behavior is widespread in the animal kingdom, and it remarkably influences human personal and professional lives. However, a thorough understanding of the mechanisms underlying social behavior is elusive. Integrating the seemingly different fields of robotics and preclinical research could bring new insight on social behavior. Toward this aim, we established “behavioral teleporting” as an experimental solution to independently manipulate multiple factors underpinning social interactions. Behavioral teleporting consists of real-time transfer of the complete ethogram of a live zebrafish onto a remotely-located robotic replica. Through parallel and simultaneous behavioral teleporting, we studied the interaction between two live fish swimming in remotely-located tanks: each live fish interacted with an inanimate robot that mirrored the behavior of the other fish, and the morphology of each robot was independently tailored. Our results indicate that behavioral teleporting can preserve natural interaction between two live animals, while allowing fine control over morphological features that modulate social behavior.

Highlights

Social behavior determines the survival and reproductive success of many organisms (Choe, 2019)
SUMMARY Social behavior is widespread in the animal kingdom, and it remarkably influences human personal and professional lives
Behavioral teleporting consists of real-time transfer of the complete ethogram of a live zebrafish onto a remotely-located robotic replica

Summary

Introduction

Social behavior determines the survival and reproductive success of many organisms (Choe, 2019). Social behavior unfolds in actions, habits, and practices that define our individual life and our society (Bandura and Walters, 1977). Inter-individual interactions are the outcome of complex processes, mediated by individual traits (genetic or environmental) and behavioral feedback that are often difficult to tease out from each other. Upon entering a meeting or approaching an unknown individual, we form strong biases within milliseconds (Naumann et al, 2009; Willis and Todorov, 2006). Behavioral feedback by our peers could have a very different effect, as a function of their appearance. How can we discriminate the effects of appearance and behavioral feedback? How can we discriminate the effects of appearance and behavioral feedback? And, which visual features really matter?

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