Using a plastic cereal container, we made our first rodent automobile. Rats could be trained to drive ahead by gripping a little wire that functioned as a gas pedal, my colleagues and I discovered after much trial and error. Soon, they were navigating to a Froot Loop reward with unexpected accuracy.
Rats kept in enriched surroundings, which included toys, space, and other people, naturally learnt to drive more quickly than rats kept in ordinary cages. The hypothesis that complex surroundings promote neuroplasticity—the brain’s capacity to adapt to external demands throughout life—was bolstered by this discovery.
The media went viral with the driving rats tale after we published our research. In my lab, the study is still ongoing using upgraded rat-operated vehicles, or ROVs.
