TABLE 4.
Overview of image-based video-tracking systems to track and analyze behavioral events in multiple rodents simultaneously in a single home-cage/arena.
| Company/Institution/University | Name | Type1 | Availability | Limitations | Behavioral data output2 | Max. animals3 | Identification of unmarked animals | Website | References |
| California Institute of Technology | Motr | Algorithm | Open source | Invasive, manual correction required, limited behavioral pattern recognition | Social | 6 | No (bleaching) | https://motr.janelia.org/ | Ohayon et al., 2013 |
| California Institute of Technology | – | All-in-one | DIY | Different fur color required | Social | 2 | Yes (different fur color required) | – | Hong et al., 2015 |
| CleverSys | GroupHousedScan | Software4 | Commercial | Not validated yet | Individual + social | –/4 | – | http://cleversysinc.com/CleverSysInc/csi_products/grouphousedscan/ | – |
| Hiroshima University | UMATracker | Software | Open Source | Manual correction required after identity swap | Social | 4 | Yes | https://ymnk13.github.io/UMATracker/ | Yamanaka and Takeuchi, 2018 |
| Loligo Systems | LoliTrack 5 | Software | Commercial | Not validated in rodents yet | Individual + limited social | Yes | https://loligosystems.com/lolitrack-version-5-video-tracking-and-behavior-analysis-software | – | |
| National Institute of Health | SCORHE | All-in-one | Open source (software) | Individual identities not maintained, mice only | Individual (grouped) | 25 | Yes | https://spis.cit.nih.gov/node/30 | Salem et al., 2015 |
| Noldus | EthoVision/PhenoTyper | All-in-one | Commercial | Marking required | Individual + social | 5/16 | No (color marking) | https://www.noldus.com/ethovision-xt/https://www.noldus.com/phenotyper | Noldus et al., 2001; de Visser et al., 2006 |
| University of California, San Diego | Smart Vivarium | Algorithm | DIY | Poor identity maintenance after occlusion | Individual | 35 | Yes | http://smartvivarium.calit2.net/ | Branson and Belongie, 2005 |
| Weizmann Institute of Science | – | All-in-one | DIY | Color marking | Social | 4/ > 10 | No (color marking) | – | Shemesh et al., 2013 |
1All-in-one: one apparatus consisting of complete hardware and software infrastructure without the need of additional equipment to be purchased.
–Software: software package with a graphical user interface.
–Algorithm: source codes which can be implemented in software solutions or require external programming and analyzing platforms, such as MATLAB or Icy.
2Individual: measurement of individual behavioral traits.
–Social: measurement of social interaction.
3Maximum number of rodents which has been scientifically validated in the mentioned reference(s)/officially communicated by the developer of the system.
4Associated hardware equipment available from same vendor.
The full power of the system (tracking + behavioral phenotyping) requires solitary housing.