A SWOT Analysis on Automating “Measuring Behaviour”

In the past decades technological innovations in many scientific fields, such as molecular biology, biochemistry electrophysiology and histochemistry have facilitated enormously the degree of resolution of independent variables, in addition to accelerating the production of results and read-out parameters. Consequently, this has resulted in new scientific insights. Similarly, a lot of technological innovations have been introduced in studies on (animal) behaviour. The question emerges, however, whether behavioural science has benefited accordingly in terms of generating new parameters, results and insights. We will address this question by applying a SWOTanalysis to discuss the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of technological innovations that have culminated in the development of automated (high-throughput) home cage systems.