Ethoscopes: An Open Platform For High-Throughput Ethomics

PLOS Biology, 19 Oct 2017; 15(10): e2003026
Ethoscopes: An Open Platform For High-Throughput Ethomics
Quentin Geissmann, Luis Garcia Rodriguez, Esteban J. Beckwith, Alice S. French, Arian R Jamasb, and Giorgio F Gilestro

We present ethoscopes, machines for high-throughput analysis of behaviour in Drosophila and other animals. Ethoscopes provide a software and hardware solution that is reproducible and easily scalable. They perform, in real-time, tracking and profiling of behaviour using a supervised machine learning algorithm; can deliver behaviourally-triggered stimuli to flies in a feedback-loop mode; are highly customisable and open source. Ethoscopes can be built easily using 3D printing technology and rely on Raspberry Pi microcomputers and Arduino boards to provide affordable and flexible hardware. All software and construction specifications are available at http://lab.gilest.ro/ethoscope.

Online paper on PLoS Biology

Supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 – webGL model of the ethoscope.
Supplementary material 2 – instruction booklet for the LEGOscope.
Supplementary material 3 – instruction booklet for the PAPERscope.
Supplementary Video 1 – Introduction to the ethoscope platform.
Supplementary Video 2 – The optogenetics component of the optomotor in action.

Featured in:

• 3-D–Printed Ethoscopes Lower Barriers to Large-Scale Fly Behavior Studies – The Scientist
• 3D printed device studies the life of flies for a better understanding of AI – 3Dprintingindustry.com
• Ethoscope – MagPi (the official Raspberry PI magazine)
• Apparently Fruitflies like a Raspberry PI – Hackaday.com
• DIY goes in vivo – LabAnimal