A team of researchers has taught some rats to steer and brake cars. The experiment also showed that rats that sing alone are less stressed.
In 2019, researchers taught 17 rats to drive small electric cars. The experiment gave the researchers the opportunity to investigate how the learning affected the rats' behavior and stress level.
According to New Scientist, the results suggest that it is the very process of learning a new skill that has a calming effect on the rats. And so not that the rats drive a car per se.
The experiment was led by Kelly Lambert from the University of Richmond, who along with her team developed the tiny choral clothes.
The construction of the cars is simple: a transparent plastic container with an aluminum floor has three copper wires that act as a steering wheel.
When the rat stood on the floor and poked at the copper wires with its paws, it closed an electrical circuit that made the car move. The direction was determined by which copper wire the rat stepped on.
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The study involved 6 female rats and 11 male rats that were trained in a square area up to four meters wide. The rats learned to steer the cars to reach a reward, typically food.
– The rats learned to navigate the car in unique ways and exhibited steering feats they had never done before to arrive at the reward, Lambert explained at the time.
At the same time, the researchers found that the rats had a higher level of the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone in their bodies when they shorted alone. But 'passenger' rats had a lower one. There is much evidence that the hormone in the rats is a sign of resistance to stress.
Rats are not the only animals that have learned to drive a car. In New Zealand, two years ago, an attempt was made with more dogs. And yes, it actually worked. The New Zealanders even claimed that the dogs would be able to pass a choir test.
