What is the result of doing a maze showdown with a mouse vs computer vs cyborg rat?

BySasha the Okay Photographer

In order to ascertain what kind of change will occur if the intelligence of the living thing and the machine is matched to one, the research team of Zhejiang University in China tries to make three kinds of "mouse", "computer", "computer mouse" (cyborg rat) I tried an experiment to let the maze melt away.

PLOS ONE: Intelligence-Augmented Rat Cyborgs in Maze Solving
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0147754


Rats vs. computers vs. rat cyborgs in maze navigation | Kurzweil AI
http://www.kurzweilai.net/rats-vs-computers-vs-rat-cyborgs-in-maze-navigation

Researchers created cyborg rats by connecting machines and living things with a neural interface and thinking that combining machine and biological cognitive abilities might further enhance the ability. This researchNational Priority Basic Research Development Plan (973 Plan), Zhejiang National National Science Foundation Committee, State Education Department New Century Excellence Human Resources Support Plan.

The schematic diagram of the maze is like this, the size is 10 squares × 10 squares, the starting point is the lower left square (S) when looking from the top, the goal point is the upper right square (G), the water and the goal The source of the smell shown is set up.


Six non-cyborg rats were prepared, and training was repeated with various mazes from one week ago.

The maze solving algorithm of the computer was used as a method of continuing along the wall from the start point called "right hand method" "left hand method".

Cyborg rats track the movement of rats and analyze the maze information, and if it is about to loop or go to a dead end, you will be instructed to correct your course at the bifurcation point.

As a result of this challenge, it was Cyborg Rat that reached the goal with the smallest number of steps.

Below is an example of maze solving by cyborg rat. The red cross mark indicates "a place that has passed through and does not have to go through again", and the diagonal line of pink indicates "a place where it is not passed but it is a dead end or a place not necessary to go by a loop". G indicates the entry point to the unknown area, the light red area is the unsearched place. And the big blue point shows the guidance route of the mouse.


In the case of (a), it moves to the present location without leaving the other from the start point. Since we moved here by the width of the maze, we found that it was necessary to go back to the current road and enter the blue filled route in order to reach the goal (upper right).

On the other hand, (b) is still searching, but we know that we do not have to go to the left of the area we are already in.

Researchers say that this capability may be useful for searching and rescuing work in complex terrain.