A remote controlled food dispenser for animal research

Abstract

Today's state of the art BMI (Brain Machine Interface) and behavioural research usually requires an expensive recording system, which alone costs tens of thousands of euros. It is therefore desirable to cut costs elsewhere without jeopardizing the quality of the scientific outcome. Rewarding animals with food is a common practice in BMI and behavioural research. Commercially available laboratory food dispensers are expensive and have to be replaced frequently. Hence, our proposed design only uses a few very simple parts, which are inexpensive to fabricate. Here, we describe the design and control of these simple food dispensers. © 2012 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston.