Researchers from the Beijing Institute of Technology, in collaboration with scientists from the Technical University of Munich, have developed a rat robot trained with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to mimic the social behaviors of biological rats. This development aims to equip robots with social skills that could simplify collaboration with humans in the future.
For humanoid robots intended for household use or collaborative work with humans, meeting basic human behavior requirements is crucial for smooth interactions. The researchers from the Beijing Institute of Technology and the Technical University of Munich took a step back in their study to explore the possibility of training a robotic rat to exhibit social behaviors that allow it to be accepted by real rats.
Their study, published in Nature Machine Intelligence, sought to determine if a robotic rat could be trained using AI to imitate key behaviors of real rats. These behaviors include fighting during stressful situations and engaging in playful wrestling, cuddling, and nose rubbing when content.
The researchers first developed a robotic rat using 3D-printed parts. The robot did not need to look exactly like a real rat. The design focused on allowing the robot to move using wheels attached to the back of its body. The front part of the body and the forepaws were designed to replicate about 95% of the movements of a real rat.
To give the robotic rat a rat-like personality, scientists trained an AI using videos of real rats interacting with their peers. They employed Deep Reinforcement Learning, enabling the robotic rat to gradually learn to behave like a real rat, such as using its head, front body, and forepaws correctly during social interactions. Object recognition techniques were used to allow the robotic rat to recognize and respond to the behaviors of real rats in real-time. The robotic rat also continued to learn from these social interactions.
In laboratory tests with biological rats, researchers demonstrated that the robotic rat was accepted by the real rats. This acceptance was due to the robot’s ability to move and interact appropriately, as expected by its peers in various situations.
This innovative approach could pave the way for robots to acquire social skills essential for seamless integration into human environments, potentially improving human-robot collaboration and interaction.