Virtual reality isn’t just for humans anymore — even mice are getting in on the action, thanks to some groundbreaking technology. At Cornell University, researchers have rolled out a new innovation called MouseGoggles. This tech allows mice to experience virtual reality in a way that’s both incredibly realistic and irresistibly cute. During controlled lab experiments, the mice wearing these goggles seemed to really engage with the simulated environments. This could make VR-based animal research much easier to conduct.
Now, while the idea of mice dabbling in VR might seem amusing, it actually has some pretty significant scientific implications. Ideally, virtual reality can help create more naturalistic settings for mice in controlled lab conditions. The problem with current setups is their bulkiness—typically, mice are placed on a treadmill surrounded by computer or projection screens. However, these displays don’t fully encompass a mouse’s field of vision, and often, it takes quite a while for them to notice the VR, if they notice it at all.
The team at Cornell believes their MouseGoggles are a major improvement over existing solutions. Rather than designing a miniature Oculus Rift from the ground up, they cleverly repurposed affordable, small-scale components from devices like smartwatches. Like in other VR setups, the mice use a treadmill while wearing the MouseGoggles, but their heads remain fixed to the device as they experience visual stimuli.
“It was definitely a project akin to a DIY ethos, where we used components made for other devices and applied them here,” shared Matthew Isaacson, the leading scientist and a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell, in an interview with the Cornell Chronicle. “Interestingly, the ideal size for a mouse VR display is nearly identical to that of a smartwatch, so we didn’t have to custom-build from scratch. All the parts we needed were easy to source and budget-friendly.”
To prove their system’s effectiveness, researchers put their mice through different scenarios while monitoring their brain activity and behaviors. Over a series of tests, it became apparent that the mice genuinely perceived and reacted to the virtual environments as hoped. For instance, in one scenario, the researchers observed the mice’s reactions to a dark object slowly approaching them, simulating a predator threat.
“When we attempted similar tests with traditional VR setups that use large screens, there was zero reaction from the mice,” Isaacson observed. “However, almost every mouse startled the first time they saw the simulated predator via the goggles. Their reactions were intense, almost as if they truly believed a predator was closing in on them.”
This research, appearing in the journal Nature Methods, suggests that more lifelike VR technology for mice has great potential for future research. It could dramatically enhance our understanding of brain activity in mice modeling conditions like Alzheimer’s, especially concerning areas related to spatial awareness and memory. It might also propel forward research into treatments for various neurological disorders.
Isaacson and his team aren’t the only ones pioneering VR systems for mice, but they are the first to integrate eye and pupil tracking within their design. They’re already working on a portable, lightweight VR setup adaptable for larger rodents such as rats or tree shrews. They’re also excited about potential future enhancements, including ways to simulate taste and smell.
