Burrow Nodes
Project Description:
Burrow Nodes is working with the Maryland Zoo to provide their bobcats with a dynamic feeding and enrichment experience. In order to stimulate natural hunting behaviors during feeding routines, we have developed a multi-node system that can provide these bobcats with the opportunity to more dynamically hunt for their food. Each node is wirelessly capable of motion detection, audio stimulation, and food release. These nodes are designed to be placed in a variety of locations within the bobcat enclosure where they can be remotely activated to play a sequence of audio signals that the bobcat must track throughout the enclosure before receiving a food item at the end of the chain and reinforcing hunting behavior. If the bobcat fails to interact with a given node before a user-specified timeout period, the “hunt” ends and the bobcat loses the opportunity to receive the food reward. This system is meant to mimic stalking prey noises in the wild and hunting mobile, variable prey with a chance of failure.
Project Photo:
Our photo shows a single node of our system with team members in the foreground at the Maryland Zoo. In the background, Kilgore, one of the Maryland Zoo’s bobcats, can be seen perched on a cilff above looking down at the node. (Team Members in order of left to right: Raphael Stadler, Peter Xu, Will Leger, Jonathan Liu)
Project Mentors, Sponsors, and Partners
- The Maryland Zoo
- Trifeena James