Robotic fish can ‘see’ and mimic live fish

Researchers tapped advances in real-time tracking software and robotics to design and test the first closed-loop control system featuring a bioinspired robotic replica interacting in three dimensions with live zebrafish. The system allows the robotic replica to both ‘see’ and mimic the behavior of live zebrafish in real time. Robots previously have been deployed alongside live animals to better understand animal behavior but the encounters were unidirectional.