title: Influence of a mobile robot on the spatial behaviour of quail chicks.
abstract: Quail chicks encountered an autonomous mobile robot during their early development. The robot incorporated a heat source that stimulated following of chicks. The spatial behaviour of grown-up chicks was tested in an exploration test and a detour test. Chicks that grew with the mobile robot exhibited better spatial abilities than chicks grown with a static heat source. We discuss these results in the perspective of animal-robot interaction and of the role of early spatial experience on the behavioural development.
authors.affiliation: CNRS UMR 6552 Ethologie Animale et Humaine, Université Rennes 1, Rennes, France. emmanuel.demargerie@univ-rennes1.fr
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Margerie
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lumineau
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Houdelier
authors.forename: M-A Richard
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Yris
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D040761:Biomimetic Materials; D009769:Object Attachment; D011784:Quail / Q000502:physiology*; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013037:Spatial Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis