Hoy J B, Koehler P G, Patterson R S
USDA-ARS, Medical and Veterinary Entomology Research Laboratory, Gainesville, FL 32604, USA.
J Neurosci Methods. 1996 Feb;64(2):157-61. doi: 10.1016/0165-0270(95)00121-2.
A microcomputer-based video system for tracking, recording, and analyzing the movement of animals in two dimensions on variegated background in real-time has been developed and validated, both mechanically and with moving animals. Hardware and software (donationware) costs are low. Specimens visualized as small as 3 pixels long may be tracked in an arena that is 240 x 320 pixels in size. The results of tracking a mechanical moving spot are compared with a theoretical circular path. Comparisons between frame-by-frame human observation and computer generated X-Y coordinates are also presented. Applications of the tracking system include insect toxicology and pheromone bioassay, vertebrate locomotion studies, and basic research on taxes and kineses.
