Social competence improves the performance of biomimetic robots leading live fish

Abstract

Collective motion is commonly modeled with static interaction rules between agents. Substantial empirical evidence indicates, however, that animals may adapt their interaction rules depending on a variety of factors and social contexts. Here, we hypothesized that leadership performance is linked to the leader's responsiveness to the follower's actions and we predicted that a leader is followed longer if it adapts to the follower's avoidance movements. We tested this prediction with live guppies that interacted with a biomimetic robotic fish programmed to act as a "socially competent" leader. Fish that were avoiding the robot were approached more carefully in future approaches. In two separate experiments we then asked how the leadership performance of the socially competent robot leader differed to that of a robot leader that either approached all fish in the same, non-responsive, way or one that did change its approach behavior randomly, irrespective of the fish's actions. We found that 1) behavioral variability itself appears attractive and that socially competent robots are better leaders which 2) require fewer approach attempts to 3) elicit longer average following behavior than non-competent agents. This work provides evidence that social responsiveness to avoidance reactions plays a role in the social dynamics of guppies. We showcase how social responsiveness can be modeled and tested directly embedded in a living animal model using adaptive, interactive robots.

Can we model autism using zebrafish?

“…Live fish did not follow a virtual fish as much if it only swam into the center (Stowers et al, 2017). Experiments using guppies and a biomimetic robot suggest a similar mechanism: social responsiveness of the robot led to less avoidance of the robot (Maxeiner et al, 2023). Together, these studies suggest that fish do not blithely follow other fish, but that their willingness to follow depends on the willingness of the other fish to follow them.…”

Animal–robot interaction—an emerging field at the intersection of biology and robotics

“…In the experiments described in the article by Maxeiner et al [11], authors used a robotic fish replica (programmed as a socially competent leader) to interact with individual female guppies (Poecilia reticulata Peters) and to investigate how they adapt their rules based on social contexts. The guppies followed the socially competent robot longer when it adapted to their avoidance movements.…”

Fish-inspired robotic algorithm: mimicking behaviour and communication of schooling fish

“…Aside from using particle models and observation studies, robotic fish embedded within a school of fish are being used to observe and influence the behaviors of fish [44,45]. Researchers have demonstrated that the appearance and locomotion of a robot play crucial roles in its successful assimilation within a school of biological fish [46,47].…”