Zebra

Scientists want to understand how animals behave together in groups, like schools of fish. This study used virtual reality and robot fish to figure out how young zebrafish respond to others when swimming in groups. The researchers created a virtual world where real fish could interact with robot fish, allowing them to closely study how fish make movement decisions based on what they see.

They discovered that fish tend to follow one or more targets using a simple rule based on the fish’s own point of view. This behavior worked well even when the fish didn’t have all the information—showing how reliable it is. The team called the rule “BioPD,” a basic type of control system.

Because this kind of following behavior is important in designing self-driving vehicles (like drones or underwater robots), they tested BioPD in these systems. It worked really well, needing very little customization, which shows that nature’s simple strategies can help improve technology too.

Reverse engineering the control law for schooling in zebrafish using virtual reality via Science Robotics.