Augmenting the functionality of home-cage environments- the real-time system approach

The home-cage enviroment is a fundamental tool for behavioral research. In order to enhance both the precision and the functionality of the experiment, the elaborate set of comprehensive sensors and computer-controlled devices is introduced. However, the data from the numerous and sophisticated sensors has to be analyzed in real time and the response within the given time constraints must be sent back to the cage. Therefore, an appropriate system has to be implemented to satisfy the imposed real-time conrtraints for responsive laboratorical environment. Moreover, the implemented solution should also provide the user with adequate interface for designing the experiment and set of tools to enable further offline analysis of collected data. The efficient communication protocol within host PC, the set of sensors and intermediate devices must be developed.