Robotic rat with real animal odor uses AI to befriend live rats

A robotic rat learned how to befriend real rats using AI. The wheeled rat was designed to provide companionship for lab rats, which can live pretty secluded and lonely lives. The robots have movements and appearances similar to real animals and even emit the same odor.

The rat was designed by researcher Qing Shi and his colleagues at the Beijing Institute of Technology in China. It moves using a bionic spine that can bend into various body postures. It’s also equipped with two front arms and two wheels that act as its rear legs.