Abstract
This project focuses on the use of robots to increase student interest in comparative psychology. Robots facilitate the development of critical thinking skills, problem solving ability, and apparatus design. Moreover, as behavioral apparatuses become more sophisticated, the use of robots can help increase the interactions between comparative psychologists and engineers. We provide details on how to construct a robotic squirrel. Our squirrel is a ground-based motion robot driven at variable speeds utilizing slip steering. It supports an on-board video system to record and monitor various behavioral patterns of small animals, primarily squirrels in this project, from a distance. It also includes an audio system, which can record and playback sounds to the animals, and a simple robot arm-like structure with two degree of freedom controlled by servos. An Android smart phone application was developed to control the motion and speed of the robot and other operational controls in the system, such as record, playback control, and movement of the robot arm. We suggest that robots can be used as a source for independent projects, be incorporated into a class lecture on behavioral apparatuses, and/or be designed as a class project.
Highlights
Example Discussion Questions Why is the study of robotics of interest to comparative psychology? What other fields in behavioral science make use of robots? How are robots being used in other sciences interested in behavior? What are some examples of robotic animals? What features should be included when designing your robot? What are the advantages and disadvantages of constructing your own robot rather than modifying a prefabricated robot? What observations can be made with a robotic animal? What experiments can be done with a robotic animal? Note
This table provides sample questions to help aid in-class discussion. These questions are helpful to implement to help keep the class discussion focused on the activity
Is the proximity of the robot to the target animal affected by the appearance of the robot? In a social situation, can the robot be accepted within the group? Does the delivery of rewards make the robot more acceptable to the target animal? Note
Summary
The Bluetooth device used in this project is the HC–05 Bluetooth module, which is a short-range device used for bidirectional data transfer. The frequency at which the device operates is 2.4 GHz (Cotta et al, 2016; Piyare & Tazil, 2011). 4. Servo Motors: The system consists of a two-degree-of-freedom robotic arm, which is designed using two servomotors, one for each action. Servo Motors: The system consists of a two-degree-of-freedom robotic arm, which is designed using two servomotors, one for each action This robotic arm is intended to act as a nut delivery system to provide treats to the animals. The larger, 180-degree servo is used to move the treat towards the animal while a smaller, 90degree servo is used to release the treat
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