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Robo-Rats To The Rescue
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Nuclear replied on Fri May 3, 2002 @ 9:35am |
May 2, 2002, 6:10 AM PT
Rats steered by a computer up to 500 yards away could soon help find buried earthquake victims or dispose of bombs, scientists said Wednesday. The remote-controlled "robo-rats" can be made to run, climb, jump, or turn left and right through electrical probes, the width of a hair, implanted in their brains. Movement signals are transmitted from a computer to the rat's brain via a radio receiver strapped to its back. One electrode stimulates the "feel good" center of the rat's brain, while two other electrodes activate the cerebral regions that process signals from its left and right whiskers. Scientists at the State University of New York trained the wired-up rats to turn left or right in a maze, according to the artificial whisker stimuli. In training, a shot of euphoria rewarded the rats for responding correctly, but after that they turned on cue without any need for reward, the researchers said in the scientific journal Nature. Small, agile and with an acute sense of smell, the rats can be fitted with satellite positioning tags and trained to seek out explosives or a human body, playing a possible role in security or disaster relief work. Talwar admits that playing with animals' minds, especially for dangerous missions, raises ethical questions but points out that the rats live as long as their untreated brethren and lead perfectly normal lives when not wearing their mind-altering backpacks. "They're not zombies--they work with their instincts," he said. |
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Purple_Lee replied on Sat May 4, 2002 @ 12:32am |
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» PaT_ replied on Sun May 5, 2002 @ 11:10pm |
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» El_Presidente replied on Mon May 6, 2002 @ 1:56am |
Robo-Rats To The Rescue
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