Israeli scientists teach goldfish to “steer” an aquarium / Article

Researchers at Ben Gurion University have trained fish to explore their navigational abilities.

Driving is not a common way to move a goldfish. However, researchers at Ben Gurion University in Israel have taught the fish to drive or, more precisely, to run an aquarium that will be placed on a robotic platform.

Scientists say it mimics the navigation skills that people are more likely to drive.

In the experiment, the researchers placed the aquarium on a mobile platform equipped with sensors and cameras.

Ohad Benshahar, a professor at Ben Gurion University, explained: “We took the aquarium and placed it on a robot that the fish could control. so that it does not encounter obstacles in the environment if the fish decides to approach too close to the wall. “

How it happens

There is also a platform in the direction of the fish in the aquarium. When a fish reaches its destination, it receives pellets as a reward.

Benghazar said: “Fish don’t drive cars. So we had to train them to understand what we wanted them to do. So in the end they had to make navigational decisions. In our experiment, the fish had to get used to the visual purpose they see through the aquarium. So we trained the fish to understand that it had to get to a specific visual goal. In this case, it was a pink board that we installed on one of the walls. “

Driving a fish in an aquarium is a strange and amusing sight, but the question is – what is the scientific value of this experiment?

The team believes that this shows that navigation is a universal ability and that fish can master complex tasks.

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