ForageFeeder: A low-cost open source feeder for randomly distributing food
Nima Jadali,
Margaret J. Zhang,
Andrew K. Schulz,
Josh Meyerchick,
David L. Hu
Affiliations
Nima Jadali
College of Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
Margaret J. Zhang
George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
Andrew K. Schulz
George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, Germany; Corresponding author at: George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA (D.L. Hu).
Josh Meyerchick
Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30315, USA
David L. Hu
George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; Corresponding author at: George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA (D.L. Hu).
Automated feeders have long fed mice, livestock, and poultry, but are incapable of feeding zoo animals such as gorillas. In captivity, gorillas eat cut vegetables and fruits in pieces too large to be dispensed by automated feeders. Consequently, captive gorillas are fed manually at set times and locations, keeping them from the exercise and enrichment that accompanies natural foraging. We designed and built ForageFeeder, an automated gorilla feeder that spreads food at random intervals throughout the day. ForageFeeder is an open source and easy to manufacture and modify device, making the feeder more accessible for zoos. The design presented here reduces manual labor for zoo staff and may be a useful tool for studies of animal ethology.
