"With the use of a bootstrap experimental setup consisting of a large polystyrene ball, a curved computer monitor, and a small straw that dispenses sugar water, Tóth managed to teach a rat how to play the classic 1994 video game Doom II. The rat's movements translated into rotations of the ball, which were then translated into movement inside the iconic first-person shooter. The sugar water served as a treat whenever the rat completed a milestone, like walking down a corridor."
"Best of all, the V2 system now allows the rats to shoot at demons in the video game thanks to a "custom-built hand-operated lever" which the rodents can pull "with their paws to fire." After the major upgrade, the rats "successfully learned to navigate the virtual environment and trigger the shooting mechanism," according to the project's website. "Habituation took approximately two weeks per rat.""
A 2020 experiment translated a rat's locomotion on a polystyrene ball into movement inside Doom II, rewarding milestones with sugar water. The original bootstrap setup used a curved monitor and a straw delivering treats to reinforce corridor navigation. The V2 upgrade added a foldable AMOLED screen spanning much of the rat's vision, numerous 3D-printed components, and a custom hand-operated lever allowing rats to pull and fire in-game. Habituation took about two weeks per rat. Two small air nozzles deliver targeted puffs to simulate in-game collisions and enhance sensory feedback.
Read at Futurism
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