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Humans get a real buzz from the virtual world of gaming and augmented reality, but now scientists have trialed the use of these new-age technologies on small animals, to test the reactions of tiny hoverflies and even crabs.

In a bid to comprehend the aerodynamic powers of flying insects and other little-understood animal behaviors, the Flinders University-led study is gaining new perspectives on how invertebrates respond to, interact with and navigate virtual 'worlds' created by advanced entertainment technology.

in the journal of Methods of Ecology and Evolution, the new gaming software was developed by experts at Flinders University working with co-author Professor Karin Nordström, who leads the Hoverfly Motion Vision Lab at Flinders University, and experts from Western Australia and Germany.

The novel study aims to augment ongoing research into new technologies, including aviation and other precision devices, and provides researchers around the world with access to the specially designed software platform.

The new research included biologists, neuroscientists and software experts, including Flinders University researchers Dr. Yuri Ogawa, Dr. Richard Leibbrandt and Raymond Aoukar, as well as Jake Manger and colleagues from The University of Western Australia.

"We developed computer programs that create a virtual reality experience for the animals to move through," says Dr. Ogawa, a Research Fellow in Neuroscience at the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute.

"Using machine learning and computer vision algorithms, we were able to observe the animals and work out what they are doing, whether that is a hoverfly attempting to turn to the left in its flight, or a fiddler crab avoiding a virtual bird flying overhead.

"The software then adapts the visual scenery to match the movements that the animal has made."

Study co-author Dr. Richard Leibbrandt, a lecturer at Flinders University's College of Science and Engineering, says the machine learning technologies used in the experiments are already revolutionizing industries such as agriculture, for example in automatically monitoring crops and livestock, and in the development of agricultural robots.

"Virtual and augmented reality is also instrumental in industries ranging from health care to architecture and the transport industry," says Dr. Leibbrandt.

"This new virtual world for invertebrates is starting to unlock new ways to study animal behavior in greater detail than ever before," adds Mr. Aoukar, a Flinders University computer science graduate.

"The last two decades have seen very rapid advances in algorithms and computer technology, such as virtual reality, gaming, artificial intelligence, and high-speed calculation using specialized computer hardware in graphics cards," says Mr. Aoukar.

"These technologies are now mature and accessible enough to run on consumer computer equipment, which opens up the chance to study animal behavior in an environment that is systematically controlled, but still more natural than a typical lab experiment."

As part of the behavioral observations and quantification, the new technique allows for identification of visual triggers of behavior.

Professor Nordström says other research groups are already taking an interest in using the new platform, which is described and can be downloaded from the new article.

"This has truly been a team effort where every author on the paper has been instrumental in making the VR work.

"We look forward to using the VR to investigate the mechanisms underlying decision-making in insects," says Professor Nordström.

The user-friendly Unity Editor interface can simplify experimental design and data storage without the need for coding. developed by the Hoverfly Motion Vision Lab designed to streamline the process of setting up a Tethered Flight Arena.