HVS Image Precision Tracker

The Precision Tracker allows you to track a specific point (e.g. the head of a rodent, or one animal among many) precisely and reliably, regardless of conditions such as animal color, background color, non-uniformity of the background, and lighting.

Although not required in Morris Water Maze or other tasks where only the HVS Image tracking and analysis system is needed, it is a useful addition in experiments where you need to:

  • Track the head of a rodent rather than the body, with complete reliability (e.g. with no chance of the tail base being tracked instead);
  • Track one animal amongst others that look similar;
  • Track animals of any color against a non-uniform background.
  • Any of the above in night (or light) conditions.

It’s important to note that although other systems claim to track the head or distinguish between head and tail base of rodents, users report that changes in the rodents’ activity and shape (e.g. stretching out and bunching up or tucking the nose under) frequently result in the tracker reassigning the tail base as the head, giving incorrect data and results.

Suitable marking of the head (or other spot of interest) completely eliminates the above problem, and by using an infrared emitting marker the HVS Image Precision Tracker allows animals of any colors to be tracked against backgrounds of any colors and complexity, with no need to mask anything in the tracking area, including in night or light conditions.

The Precision Tracker equipment includes our infrared emitting marker, a small spot of which is placed on the specific part of the animal you wish to track, light source of a wavelength that is invisible to rodents but visible to humans, which causes the infrared emission from the marker, and a special version of the HVS Image LabCam that allows the marked part to be tracked by any recent version of the HVS Image tracking and analysis system.

The Precision Tracker can be purchased on its own (for use with an existing HVS Image system), or along with the latest HVS Image tracking and analysis system.