An old joke reads: two fish in a tank and the other says, “Do you know how to handle this?”
Israeli scientists seem to have found the answer.
A team from Ben-Gurion University has trained a goldfish to maneuver a robotic car on the ground using a top-down camera that monitors its movements around a small aquarium.
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The camera in the “fish-powered car” uses motion sensor technology to send a signal to one of the four wheels when the fish is floating near the side of the aquarium. Over time, the fish learned that their movements matched those of the car.
Fish are successfully trained to hit the pink target at the other end of the room in exchange for a reward for fish feed – which they can do over and over again, even when there are obstacles along the way.
Researchers say their study Published in the peer-reviewed journal Behavioral Brain Research this month, shows that the navigability of fish in the terrestrial environment remains intact.
This process is called a field transfer methodology, where one species is placed in another environment and performs a familiar task, in this case navigation.
And for one of its authors, it shows that people and fish may not be as different as some think.
said Rennen Segev, a professor at Ben-Gurion University who has long studied fish behavior.
“It’s not that fish are primitive, they simply evolved in a world completely different from ours. They need a comprehensive solution. [problems] to live in their own environment.
At first, the fish struggled to understand how the navigation system worked. But after a while, “they were able to start the vehicle, explore the new environment and reach their destination regardless of the starting point, while avoiding deadlocks and correcting location inaccuracies,” the study said.
Segev said further research could test whether fish can move in more difficult conditions, such as finding a target they can’t see at first.
The study involved six goldfish, the largest of which was 7 inches long and weighed no more than 4.2 ounces. They all received 10 driving lessons.
The fish is named after the characters in Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice. Mr. Bingley had two superstars, as did scientist Sahar Jevon He said.
Research can also help to dispel a common myth exposedThe memory of the goldfish lasts only a few seconds.
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