ForageFeeder: A low-cost open source feeder for randomly distributing food

Nima Jadali; Margaret J Zhang; Andrew K Schulz; Josh Meyerchick; David L Hu

doi:10.1016/j.ohx.2023.e00405

ForageFeeder: A low-cost open source feeder for randomly distributing food

HardwareX. 2023 Mar 1:14:e00405. doi: 10.1016/j.ohx.2023.e00405. eCollection 2023 Jun.

Authors

Nima Jadali¹, Margaret J Zhang², Andrew K Schulz^{2

3}, Josh Meyerchick⁴, David L Hu^{2

5}

Affiliations

¹ College of Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
² George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
³ Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, Germany.
⁴ Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30315, USA.
⁵ School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Behavioral biology; Conservation technology; Deer feeding; Forage feeding.