Principle of Operation

The BioDAQ E2 system generates data through the use of
load cell technology. Each Peripheral Sensor Controller (PSC)
contains a load cell that reports the weight of its hopper and the
diet or water it contains once per second. As long as the weight
remains unchanged, no data is reported.

An animal initiates the recording of a feeding or drinking event by disturbing the hopper, destabilizing the reported weight. The system detects this destabilization, marks the time and date of the initiation of activity and waits for a new stable weight once the intake bout is complete. The difference between the two weights and the period of the activity are then calculated and reported along with the initiation data as a bout. BioDAQ is the only instrument that can provide this level of data collection.