HabiTrak: low-cost monitoring of animal health and activity in any home cage

HabiTrak is a suite of thermographic and environmental sensors in a small, wireless package designed to be placed inside the home cage. State-of-the-art embedded systems control continuous unsupervised data collection and export data directly to the cloud. With a device as small as a deck of playing cards, battery-powered and mounted magnetically to the ceiling of any home cage, researchers can monitor and record:

• Animal position & movement
• Circadian activity
• Body surface temperature
• Birth/pup detection
• Cage atmosphere pressure, temperature, & humidity
• eCO₂ & volatile organic compound concentration
• Ambient light intensity
• Light/dark cycle disruptions
• Cage handling events
• Bedding condition