Joshua Sanders was visiting us to help assemble open source behavior control systems. In addition, Josh gave an institutional seminar titled “Sanworks: Open systems to connect brain function with behavior”.

Abstract of the talk:

In the human effort to understand how brain processing produces behavior, the range of behaviors we will need to capture quantitatively is immense. Development of custom behavior systems necessitates an awkward culture of embedded electronics hacking, by researchers who often lack a background in electrical engineering and firmware development. The objective of Sanworks LLC is to develop an open source, adaptable toolset for precise measurement of behavior and stimulation. Our current Github offerings are Pulse Pal, an open pulse train generator (similar to Master8, but easier to use and ~1/10 cost), and Bpod, an open system for operant behavioral tasks in freely moving rodents. We offer online forums where users can share technical challenges, and an assembly service to streamline access to our systems. At this event, founder Josh Sanders will share his vision going forward, and demonstrate the systems that are already available. To find out more, visit: http://sanworks.io