Tiny VR Goggles Bring Adorable Results for Lab Mice

Scientists at Northwestern University have developed a virtual reality (VR) system called iMRSIV for lab mice, allowing them to engage with a more natural environment. The mice are placed close to the goggles, which cover their entire field of vision, and can run on a treadmill. The mice quickly adapted to the system and showed responses similar to those in the wild when exposed to simulated threats like predatory birds. The researchers hope to simulate other natural scenarios and believe that their compact and user-friendly VR system could make the technology more accessible to other labs.