HAMSTER: Concept (April 1999)
Symbiotic exchange of hoarded energy
Our project aims to establish a symbiosis between a population of
hamsters and a group of vehicles with intelligent steering units.
For the experiment we are using common golden hamsters.
We have chosen a mostly female group to prevent territorial aggression.
For the exhibition the hamsters day/night cycle will be reversed
to allow spectators to see things happen during the day.
The vehicles
Each of the vehicles is driven forward by a built-in hamster running
wheel.
the vehicle is activated whenever a hamster enters it and starts
running.
Without a hamster inside the vehicles are totally immobile. The micro
controller on each vehicle can distinguish light from dark via built in
light detectors and uses this information to control its steering
system.
Mounted on its surface each vehicle has a solar panel to collect
electricity
and store it in its batteries.
Within a 50 m2 glazed enclosure 15 hamsters roam freely.
There is a light source at one end of the enclosure, which is the only
light within the entire installation, and a electric food station
on the other side.
Spectators can move around outside the glass fence and watch the
experiment.
Whenever a hamster enters one of the vehicles, (which they like to
do quite often), it starts moving the vehicle forward by using the
running- wheel.
The micro controller begins to steer the vehicle towards the light
source where
it brakes and stops. After recharging its batteries via solar panels
the vehicle will take the next hamster lift to move over
to the food station. Here it transmits its stored energy to the
food station where upon the station dispenses a snack for the hamster.
Since it has no additional power supply the food station depends upon
the energy transfusions from the vehicles. With the next hamster getting
into
the wheel the vehicle will start off for the light again.
The hamsters depend on the vehicles because they deliver the energy
for their food station, conversely the vehicles are unable to move
without
the hamsters physical power.
By creating an artificial symbiosis of such kind, the experiment aims to
investigate the possibility of matching the existing behavior patterns
of animals on
one hand with complementary machine programs on the other.
Is it possible to draw synergetic results form a colaboration
of highly evolved animals and technical devices if they
are smart enough to canalize the animals for there own needs without abusing them?