Computational models of motor learning have been examined experimentally with human participants using a robotic manipulandum that produces force perturbations on their reach trajectories. Here, we developed a small-scale robotic manipulandum for rodent studies. This device enabled us to conduct the same motor control experiments typically used for human study on rodents in order to examine the neural basis of the computational process of motor control and learning. We present the design of the manipulandum and controller system in addition to kinematic analysis of the link structures. We also confirmed the feasibility of the developed system for rodent studies.

运动学习的计算模型已经在人类参与者身上进行了实验检查，使用机器人操纵器在他们的到达轨迹上产生力扰动。在这里，我们开发了一种用于啮齿动物研究的小型机器人操作器。该设备使我们能够进行与人类研究啮齿动物相同的运动控制实验，以检查运动控制和学习计算过程的神经基础。除了连杆结构的运动学分析外，我们还介绍了操纵器和控制器系统的设计。我们还证实了所开发的啮齿动物研究系统的可行性。