From Whiskers to VR: The Evolution of Rats Playing Doom II

Hungarian software engineer and neuroscientist Viktor Tóth has significantly upgraded his 2020 experiment that taught rats to play the classic video game Doom II, creating a more immersive gaming experience for rodents.

The Original Experiment

In 2020, Tóth developed a basic setup consisting of a polystyrene ball, a curved monitor, and a sugar water dispenser that rewarded rats for completing in-game actions. The rat’s physical movements on the ball translated to movement within the first-person shooter game.

Major Upgrades to the System

The new V2 system, developed with collaborators Sándor Makra and Ákos Blaschek, features several significant improvements:

• A foldable 180-degree AMOLED screen that wraps around the rat’s field of vision while preserving whisker space
• A custom-built lever that rats can pull with their paws to shoot at demons in the game
• Air nozzles that deliver targeted puffs to simulate collision with in-game walls
• Numerous custom 3D-printed components

According to the project’s website (ratsplaydoom.com), the rats successfully learned to navigate the virtual environment and use the shooting mechanism after approximately two weeks of habituation per rat.

Purpose and Limitations

While there isn’t a clearly stated scientific purpose behind the experiment, Tóth has suggested it could be relevant to brain-computer interface (BCI) research, an area he’s interested in pursuing. He chose Doom II specifically because its maps are easily editable and can be modified for rat gameplay.

Despite the progress, the rats still have significant learning ahead before they can tackle the game’s single-player campaign. The researchers note that advanced training wasn’t completed due to time constraints, though initial data showed promising engagement. They also acknowledge that more research is needed on how prolonged VR exposure affects rat well-being.

Future Directions

The project continues to evolve, with Tóth previously mentioning the possibility of starting a Twitch channel to showcase the rats’ gaming adventures. The upgraded system represents a fascinating intersection of animal behavior, gaming, and technology that raises questions about interspecies interactions with virtual environments.