CATOS: Computer Aided Training/Observing System

TL;DR

The paper introduces CATOS, an autonomous system for observing and training animals, demonstrated through a six-month pilot with cats learning to respond to sounds for rewards, reducing human bias.

Contribution

This study presents the design and implementation of CATOS, a novel autonomous system for animal training and observation, tested successfully in a real-world pilot experiment.

Findings

One cat achieved over 70% accuracy in button-pressing task.

System operated successfully for about 6 months.

Demonstrated potential for autonomous animal training and observation.

Abstract

In animal behavioral biology, there are several cases in which an autonomous observing/training system would be useful. 1) Observation of certain species continuously, or for documenting specific events, which happen irregularly; 2) Longterm intensive training of animals in preparation for behavioral experiments; and 3) Training and testing of animals without human interference, to eliminate potential cues and biases induced by humans. The primary goal of this study is to build a system named CATOS (Computer Aided Training/Observing System) that could be used in the above situations. As a proof of concept, the system was built and tested in a pilot experiment, in which cats were trained to press three buttons differently in response to three different sounds (human speech) to receive food rewards. The system was built in use for about 6 months, successfully training two cats. One cat learned to press a particular button, out of three buttons, to obtain the food reward with over 70 percent correctness.