Hardware
WormTracker Behavior Recording System
There are many iterations available in the community to record animal behavior. Ours is specifically designed for recording behavior in microfluidic arenas, but it works well for smaller agar plates also.
The key to getting good contrast to present different illumination directly beneath the animal versus from the sides. This can be accomplished with a ring light and dark base, or with a uniform backlight that blocks off-axis light. We prefer the latter method, as it allows visualization of microfluidics, and it is generally unaffected by ambient light conditions.
By using inexpensive optics, LED backlighting, and machine vision cameras, we have reduced costs to under $1000 each. Here we use off-the-shelf support materials, although some custom machining may be required to attach the camera. For certain applications, a better (and more costly) zoom lens may be warranted.
Instructions for setting up microfluidic behavioral experiments is available here.
Parts:
| Vendor | Item Description | Catalog # | Qty | Price ea | Total | Notes |
| Edmund Optics | Ring Mount with 0.75″ Inner Diameter (ID) | #54-264 | 2 | 16.50 | 33.00 | |
| Edmund Optics | Small Platform Base | #53-009 | 1 | 219.00 | ||
| Edmund Optics | 3/4″ Dia Stainless Posts, Vertical Post 24″ | #52-100 | 1 | 60.00 | ||
| Edmund Optics | 3/4″ Dia Stainless Posts, Horizontal Arm 18″ | #39-354 | 1 | 55.00 | ||
| Edmund Optics | Steel Post, 4″ Length, 1/4-20 Stud | #59-000 | 4 | 9.70 | 38.80 | |
| Edmund Optics | 90 Degree Angle Mount | #39-355 | 1 | 49.00 | ||
| McMaster Carr | Two Conductor Power Cord NEMA 1-15 Plug, SPT-1-Flat, 18/2 AWG, 6′ Length | 7248K21 | 1 | 2.29 | ||
| McMaster Carr | Heat-resistant Borosilicate Glass Square, 1/4″ Thick, 10″ X 10″ | 8476K225 | 1 | 16.82 | ||
| McMaster Carr | Push-in Flexible Rubber Grommet Ms 35489-91, An 931-c3-5, 3/16″ Id, 7/16″ Od | 9307K37 | 1 pk | 4.84 | ||
| McMaster Carr | 18-8 Ss Button Head Socket Cap Screw 8-32 Thread, 5/8″ Length | 92949A196 | 1 pk | 5.87 | ||
| McMaster Carr | Standard Rubber Edge Trim 1/4″ Opening, 19/32″ Inside Depth | 8507K32 | 10 ft | 2.49 | ||
| McMaster Carr | Plastic-Head Thumb Screw Black Rosette Head, 1/4″-20 Thread, 5/8″ Length, packs of 10 | 91185A805 | 1 pk | 11.01 | ||
| Automate Scientific | Syringe Bracket (holds 8x 35ml and 60ml syringes) | sybrk8 | 1 | 48.00 | ||
| Ebay | Pixelink PL-A741 (or similar) | 1 | 150.00 | range 150-300 | ||
| Ebay | Zoom lens 18-108/2.5 No. 4520988 (or similar) | 1 | 15.00 | range 15-75 | ||
| Ebay | 12W Panel SMD LED Ceiling Down Light Bulb Lamp square | 1 | 22.99 | range 23-28 | ||
| Amazon | “3M Gold Privacy Filter-3M GPF19.0W Widescreen Monitor Privacy Screen” |
1 | 74.24 | enough for three | ||
| Amazon | Dremel 7134 diamond bit, or 3/16″ diamond drill bit | 1 | to drill glass | |||
| 808.35 | TOTAL |
Building the tracker:
- Assemble 24″ vertical post, 18″ post, and four 4″ steel posts onto small platform base.
- Drill four 3/16″ holes in the 10×10″ glass plate and insert grommets.
- Attach glass plate to steel posts and add optional rubber edge trim.
- Solder power cord to LED backlight. Cut privacy filter to fit backlight, 2 pieces at 90 degrees rotation.
- Screw syringe bracket to ring mount and add thumb screw.
- Attach zoom lens to camera and mount to 90 degree angle mount.