VR headsets are used by humans for entertainment purposes and with the introduction of mixed reality headsets, the virtual world and reality can be combined more realistically. Researchers from Cornell University have developed a VR headset specifically for mice not for entertainment but to study serious diseases in the human brain.
MouseGoggles is a small headset for mice and it is to read the brain activity of laboratory mice in the study of Alzheimer's disease. In a previous study, scientists found that reduced blood flow to a part of the brain was detected in mice suffering from Alzheimer's disease. By restoring blood flow to this part, some cognitive functions of the brain were successfully restored.
To find a way to restore this blood flow, scientists have been conducting experiments on mice for the past decade. But the screen system currently used is distracting to the subjects and often the expected reaction does not occur.
Using a smartwatch screen, MouseGoggles was produced and in tests that were carried out gave the response expected by the researchers. Unlike headsets worn on the head, MouseGoogles is static with the mice standing on a rotating ball. Blood flow in the primary visual cortex and hippocampus was then tracked.
The success of building MouseGoggles gave researchers the idea to develop a headset that could be worn on larger squirrels and ground squirrels.