Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Collective motion in animal groups arises from social interaction rules, yet uncovering these rules requires quantitative models grounded in real behavior. We developed a fully three-dimensional, data-driven model of pairwise interactions in the schooling fish Hemigrammus rhodostomus, reconstructing the attraction and alignment interactions from experiments with two real fish swimming freely in a hemispherical bowl. Simulations of this model quantitatively reproduced empirical distributions of speed, distance, and orientation. We then embedded the model into a closed-loop virtual reality system, allowing a real fish to interact in real time with a virtual conspecific whose movements were governed by the same interaction rules. This biohybrid setup revealed that the model captures key social interactions underlying coordinated swimming. Our results establish a robust validation framework linking data, models, and behavior, paving the way for hybrid biological-digital collectives.
Source: PLoS Computational Biology
Authors: Ramón Escobedo, Justine Reynaud, Renaud Bastien, Stéphane Sanchez, Clément Sire, Guy Theraulaz
Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier, Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Laboratoire de Physique Théorique, Institut de Recherche en Informatique de Toulouse, Université de Toulouse, Université Toulouse Capitole, Centre de Biologie Intégrative de Toulouse, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Laboratoire Lorrain de Recherche en Informatique et ses Applications, Centre Inria de l'Université de Lorraine
Language: English
Subfield: Computer Networks and Communications
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,043
OpenAlex ID: W4417203593