Scientists Develop Miniature VR Headsets for Mice

It’s not just humans diving into the world of virtual reality. Researchers have now unveiled an innovative technology that lets mice step into VR in the lab—and yes, it’s as cute as it sounds.

Developed by scientists at Cornell University, this new tech is cleverly dubbed MouseGoggles. During experiments, the mice appeared to actively engage with simulated environments while donning these goggles. This advancement promises to simplify animal studies involving VR by making them more effective.

Although the concept of rodents experiencing virtual reality might sound amusing, it has real-world benefits. Scientists aim to replicate natural habitats for mice but within controlled conditions using VR. The current methods, however, are somewhat cumbersome. Typically, mice are placed on treadmills flanked by display screens. These screens have limitations—they can’t fully encompass a mouse’s field of vision, and often, the mice take ages to respond, if they respond at all.

The Cornell team believes their MouseGoggles offer a significant improvement over existing VR setups for mice. Instead of constructing a miniaturized Oculus Rift from scratch, they assembled their system with tiny, economical components scavenged from smartwatches and similar gadgets. Like other setups, the mice use a treadmill when wearing MouseGoggles, and their heads are secured to the goggles as they receive visual stimuli.

“This really embraced the hacker spirit of taking components intended for one purpose and adapting them for another,” explained leading researcher Matthew Isaacson in an interview with the Cornell Chronicle. “It turns out that screens made for smartwatches perfectly suit mouse VR headsets. We were fortunate not to have to start from scratch and could easily source all the inexpensive parts needed.”

To test their system’s viability, the team presented various stimuli to the mice while monitoring brain activity and observing their behavior. The series of tests revealed the mice indeed saw and reacted to the VR environments, as the researchers had hoped. In one instance, they noted how mice responded to a dark blot easing closer, potentially symbolizing a predator.

“When we tried this with the conventional big screen VR setups, the mice showed no response,” Isaacson noted. “But almost every mouse wearing the goggles had a strong startle response—they really believed a predator was upon them.”

Their exciting discoveries were published in Nature Methods earlier this month, highlighting the potential future advantages. This more realistic VR could enhance understanding of mice brain activity, especially in models simulating conditions like Alzheimer’s, and help identify new treatments for brain disorders by focusing on areas linked to memory and spatial navigation.

Isaacson’s team is not alone in developing VR for mice, but theirs is the first to track eye and pupil movement. They’re now working on a lightweight, mobile VR setup adaptable for larger animals such as rats and tree shrews and envision future upgrades, like incorporating taste and smell simulations.