Individual Differences in Boldness Affect the Interactions Between Fish and Robots

Although many species of robotic animal models have been developed in recent years, their effect on animal behavior is largely unexplored. In this work, we investigate the feasibility of regulating the behavior of golden shiners (Notemigonus crysoleucas) engaged in a risk-taking test using a robotic fish displaying characteristics of bold or shy individuals. Fish are characterized according to an individual boldness criterion and their individual interactions with a self-propelled biomimetic robot exhibiting typical bold and shy behaviors are scored. We find that bold individuals are relatively insensitive to the behavior of the robot, while the presence of the robot may embolden shy fish. Specifically, shy fish show affinity for the robotic fish when it displays both bold and shy behaviors. The results of this work may inform the design of engineering methods to regulate fish behavior for the purposes of animal control, conservation, and production.