A converted barn has been transformed into a cutting-edge animal behavior lab, equipped with motion-capture cameras to track the movements of bird flocks and insect swarms. The lab, known as the SMART-BARN, features 30 infrared cameras that can monitor up to 500 individual markers attached to the animals’ bodies. Despite its controlled environment, the lab offers enough space for the animals to move and interact naturally. In addition to the motion-capture cameras, the SMART-BARN also houses video cameras and computer vision software powered by artificial intelligence to track animals without markers. The lab has already produced studies on the collective attention of pigeons and the synchronization of mealtimes among starlings. Researchers at the lab are now working on building a larger facility to track the behavior of 10,000 locusts without markers. The data collected by the lab has also been utilized to develop an AI system for tracking pigeon behaviors in the wild. This innovative studio provides new opportunities for studying animal behaviors and understanding group dynamics in various species.
Insights:
– The SMART-BARN lab offers a controlled environment for studying animal behavior while allowing animals to move and interact naturally.
– Motion-capture cameras and computer vision software enable the tracking of animals both with and without markers.
– The lab’s studies have focused on collective attention and synchronized behaviors among birds.
– Future plans include building a larger facility to study larger groups of insects and developing AI systems for tracking behaviors in the wild.
– The lab provides insights into how individual animals contribute to group formation and cohesion.
