In rodent research, the cylinder test is frequently used to assess for hemiparesis following various forms of motor cortical damage, such as stroke. The cylinder test utilizes rodents’ natural tendency to engage in exploratory behaviors including rearing. When a rodent rears, their paws frequently come into contact with walls of the cylinder. In healthy rodents, paw contacts are relatively equal across forepaws; however after a stroke, rodents are generally more reliant on their forelimb paw that is contralateral to their affected brain hemisphere. The cylinder test is often an effective assessment for hemiparesis, but it does have limitations such as extensive research coding time, rodents’ habituation to the environment, and insensitivity to mild stroke. Therefore, we developed a technologically-infused cylinder assessment that uses a touchscreen and camera to capture the data, which is then analyzed with an AI image algorithm. We believe that using an automated system for the cylinder assessment will produce results at a more efficient rate and provide potential new measures of rearing behavior that may be more sensitive to stroke. The validation of this project fits into the greater scheme of the Neuroplasticity and Repertoire Recovery Lab to improve functional motor recovery after a stroke.