Games are a great way to de-stress from the trials and hassles of real life. They provide a low risk and often fun activity, set in a safe environment, complete with the potential for snacks. Having the ability to unwind with a safe but somewhat mentally challenging task can do wonders for winding down, even without the snacks, and it turns out rats agree.
According to Ars Technica, scientists have been putting adorable little rats into purpose built tiny cars and teaching them to drive. And it seems like the rats have been loving it, on a scientifically observable level.
At the University of Richmond, a team has been studying the effects of a rat’s environment on their overall wellbeing and ability to learn new things. Tasks previously given to rats to study this have been fairly simple, so the team decided to step things up by teaching the little vermin to drive.
A bespoke vehicle was designed and built for the rats out of a robotic car kit, plastic food container, and three copper wires to control directions rather than a complicated wheel. The wires work for forward, left, and, right controls so essentially they taught rats to drive a car using the equivalent of W, A, and D keys to a PC gamer.
Initially, treats were placed around a small arena and the rats would earn it by driving the vehicle towards them. The treats would always be placed in different areas, causing the rats to thoroughly learn to control the vehicle in order to be rewarded. Eight weeks of three lots of five-minute sessions was all it took for rats to get the hang of this process, which is a bit of a slap in the face to this licenseless writer.
What’s especially cool about this test is that the rats continued to drive the vehicles even without reward. Reportedly the sheer joy of driving was intrinsically rewarding enough for them to get back behind the wires and keep giving it a go.
Furthermore, studies on hormones found in the rats’ droppings indicated a better quality of life overall for the fury little motorists. It seems this rewarding challenge added to their lives genuinely enriched them. However, it’s likely that’s only because they don’t have to deal with car insurance companies and peak traffic.
Hope’s been writing about games for about a decade, starting out way back when on the Australian Nintendo fan site Vooks.net. Since then, she’s talked far too much about games and tech for publications such as Techlife, Byteside, IGN, and GameSpot. Of course there’s also here at PC Gamer, where she gets to indulge her inner hardware nerd with news and reviews. You can usually find Hope fawning over some art, tech, or likely a wonderful combination of them both and where relevant she’ll share them with you here. When she’s not writing about the amazing creations of others, she’s working on what she hopes will one day be her own. You can find her fictional chill out ambient far future sci-fi radio show/album/listening experience podcast at BlockbusterStation.buzzsprout.com. No, sadly she’s not kidding.
Brawlhalla and Street Fighter collide today in one of the free-to-play platform-fighter’s biggest crossovers yet. Ryu, Chun-Li, and Akuma are joining Brawlhalla’s cast as Epic Crossovers during a special event, and they’re bringing their best moves – including Ryu’s Hadoken and Chun-Li’s Spinning Bird Kick – to the battle. The event also adds a new …
The Figure Fantasy x Hatsune Miku collaboration event has officially begun, inviting players to experience in-game performances from the popular virtual singer among other things. Komoe Technology Limited is also adding all-new gameplay plus exciting givebacks to the figurine-themed idle RPG throughout the crossover event. The Figure Fantasy x Hatsune Miku collab lets players complete …
Elden Ring is the largest From Software game to date, certainly the studio’s best work, and full of secrets and challenges around literally every corner. I understand how intimidating the renowned developer’s releases are to a newcomer, so I’ve created an Elden Ring beginner’s guide containing nine essential tips for new players to help make the …
November 8, 2021: we checked for new Omega Tower Defense Simulator codes Omega Tower Defense Simulator is a Roblox game that allows you to visit some vibrant anime worlds with some familiar faces, such as Goku, Naruto, and Luffy. To succeed, you must set up defensive walls and towers in order to keep waves of increasingly …
It’s fair to say that the Vikings are fascinating, and many people have an interest in these historical Scandinavian warriors. This is why NetEase is keen to get you to let out your inner Viking with the newly released mobile simulation RPG, Vikingard. As the name of the game suggests, this takes place in the …
Screenshot: Nickelodeon / GameMill Entertainment Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is just 10 days old, but serious competitors have already found a problem character: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle party animal Michelangelo. He’s so problematic, in fact, that he’s been banned from the game’s first major tournament. Super Smash Con, a major Super Smash Bros. event that’s been …
Watch These Rats Enrich Their Lives By Driving Tiny Cars
Games are a great way to de-stress from the trials and hassles of real life. They provide a low risk and often fun activity, set in a safe environment, complete with the potential for snacks. Having the ability to unwind with a safe but somewhat mentally challenging task can do wonders for winding down, even without the snacks, and it turns out rats agree.
According to Ars Technica, scientists have been putting adorable little rats into purpose built tiny cars and teaching them to drive. And it seems like the rats have been loving it, on a scientifically observable level.
At the University of Richmond, a team has been studying the effects of a rat’s environment on their overall wellbeing and ability to learn new things. Tasks previously given to rats to study this have been fairly simple, so the team decided to step things up by teaching the little vermin to drive.
A bespoke vehicle was designed and built for the rats out of a robotic car kit, plastic food container, and three copper wires to control directions rather than a complicated wheel. The wires work for forward, left, and, right controls so essentially they taught rats to drive a car using the equivalent of W, A, and D keys to a PC gamer.
Initially, treats were placed around a small arena and the rats would earn it by driving the vehicle towards them. The treats would always be placed in different areas, causing the rats to thoroughly learn to control the vehicle in order to be rewarded. Eight weeks of three lots of five-minute sessions was all it took for rats to get the hang of this process, which is a bit of a slap in the face to this licenseless writer.
What’s especially cool about this test is that the rats continued to drive the vehicles even without reward. Reportedly the sheer joy of driving was intrinsically rewarding enough for them to get back behind the wires and keep giving it a go.
Furthermore, studies on hormones found in the rats’ droppings indicated a better quality of life overall for the fury little motorists. It seems this rewarding challenge added to their lives genuinely enriched them. However, it’s likely that’s only because they don’t have to deal with car insurance companies and peak traffic.
Hope’s been writing about games for about a decade, starting out way back when on the Australian Nintendo fan site Vooks.net. Since then, she’s talked far too much about games and tech for publications such as Techlife, Byteside, IGN, and GameSpot. Of course there’s also here at PC Gamer, where she gets to indulge her inner hardware nerd with news and reviews. You can usually find Hope fawning over some art, tech, or likely a wonderful combination of them both and where relevant she’ll share them with you here. When she’s not writing about the amazing creations of others, she’s working on what she hopes will one day be her own. You can find her fictional chill out ambient far future sci-fi radio show/album/listening experience podcast at BlockbusterStation.buzzsprout.com. No, sadly she’s not kidding.
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Elden Ring is the largest From Software game to date, certainly the studio’s best work, and full of secrets and challenges around literally every corner. I understand how intimidating the renowned developer’s releases are to a newcomer, so I’ve created an Elden Ring beginner’s guide containing nine essential tips for new players to help make the …
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