Closed-loop real-virtual interactions validate 3D model of social coordination in fish

Collective motion in animal groups arises from social interactions 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 attraction, alignment 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.

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Publication Details

Journal
PLoS Computational Biology
Published
2026-08-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1014544
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Biomimetic flight and propulsion mechanisms
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
26.19

Funders

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article

Closed-loop real-virtual interactions validate 3D model of social coordination in fish

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2 citations
PLoS Computational Biology
Biomimetic flight and propulsion mechanisms
26.19
article

Closed-loop real-virtual interactions validate 3D model of social coordination in fish

Ramón Escobedo, Renaud Bastien, Stéphane Sanchez, Clément Sire, Guy Théraulaz
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Collective motion in animal groups arises from social interactions 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 attraction, alignment 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.

PLoS Computational BiologyVol. 22(8)
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (FR), Université Toulouse-I-Capitole (FR), Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (FR), Laboratoire de Physique Théorique (FR), Institut de Recherche en Informatique de Toulouse (FR), Laboratoire Lorrain de Recherche en Informatique et ses Applications (FR), Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès (FR), Institut Polytechnique de Bordeaux (FR), Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (ES), Université de Lorraine (FR)
Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, CHIST-ERA
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Biomimetic flight and propulsion mechanisms
26.19
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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