It’s not just humans diving into the world of virtual reality; even mice are joining the fun, thanks to a groundbreaking new technology that’s making waves in scientific research. Scientists have recently introduced an innovative system, developed at Cornell University, designed to give mice a more immersive and, let’s be honest, adorable experience in VR. They’ve cleverly dubbed this tech MouseGoggles, and it’s already making mouse VR experiments much more feasible.
While the idea of mice in virtual reality might sound amusing, there’s a serious purpose behind it. Researchers aim to simulate realistic environments for their rodent subjects but under more controlled conditions. Currently, the typical setup involves placing mice on a treadmill while surrounding them with computer screens. Although this approach gives the mice some sense of virtual reality, it falls short, mainly because the screens don’t cover their entire visual field. This limitation often means it takes ages for the mice to interact with the virtual environment, if they do at all.
That’s where MouseGoggles comes in. According to the Cornell research team, this technology is a significant upgrade from the current VR setups for mice. Instead of reinventing the wheel, they utilized small, cost-effective components from smartwatches and other available devices to build their system. Like existing VR tools, the mice are positioned on a treadmill to use the MouseGoggles, with their heads gently secured so they can view the visuals through the headset.
Lead scientist Matthew Isaacson, a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell, explained to the Cornell Chronicle, “It definitely benefited from the hacker ethos of taking parts that are built for something else and then applying it to some new context. The perfect size display, as it turns out, for a mouse VR headset is pretty much already made for smartwatches.” Isaacson felt fortunate that their team didn’t have to start from scratch and could easily source all the necessary parts at a low cost.
To test the system’s effectiveness, the researchers exposed mice to a variety of stimuli, carefully measuring brain activity and observing behaviors throughout. Their findings were promising. In one particular test, they watched how mice reacted to a growing dark shape that simulated a predator. Isaacson noted a remarkable difference compared to traditional VR setups: “When we tried this kind of a test in the typical VR setup with big screens, the mice did not react at all. But almost every single mouse, the first time they see it with the goggles, they jump. They have a huge startle reaction. They really did seem to think they were getting attacked by a looming predator.”
These findings were published earlier this month in the journal Nature Methods, and the research could open new doors for scientific inquiry. For example, VR experiments might offer more precise ways to study and map the brain activity of mice, especially those used as models for Alzheimer’s disease. This understanding could be crucial for research into spatial navigation, memory, and potential treatments for various brain disorders.
Isaacson and his team aren’t the only ones venturing into mouse VR territory, but theirs is unique in that it incorporates eye and pupil tracking. They’re already working on a smaller, mobile version of their VR system that could be suitable for use with larger rodents like rats or tree shrews. The researchers are also exploring additional enhancements, such as incorporating taste and smell into the virtual reality experience.
