What is the Multi-Maze?

The Multi-Maze is a versatile, fully automated modular maze system that can be reconfigured between a 3-arm Y-maze, a T-maze, and an 8-arm radial maze by adding or removing arm modules without tools. Its defining feature is a system of motorized below-floor sliding doors on each arm — identical in principle to the Delta Maze — that retract silently beneath the maze surface rather than protruding upward, providing an unobstructed overhead view for video tracking and eliminating cable entanglement for tethered animal experiments. The modular architecture, combined with PC-driven TTL control and individual arm motors, enables complex automated spatial protocols that would require manual intervention in conventional mazes.

Key Features

• Configurable Architecture: Standard kits are available as 3-arm (Y-maze/T-maze) in mouse (Cat. 41503/41504) and rat (Cat. 41513/41514) versions, and as 8-arm radial maze (Cat. 41508/41518). Arms can be added or removed using the modular connection system.
• Below-Floor Silent Sliding Doors: Each arm has its own motor driving a door that slides beneath the floor — providing a clear, unobstructed overhead view for video tracking and eliminating upright barriers that entangle fiber optic cables or EEG leads.
• Individual Arm Motor Control: Each arm door is controlled independently via TTL or USB, enabling asymmetric protocols (e.g., force-choice by opening only one arm), sequential arm release, and event-synchronized door control.
• TTL and USB/PC Control: Compatible with all major behavioral control systems via TTL; full PC automation via USB enables custom protocol scripting for delayed alternation, reversal, and multi-step spatial tasks.
• Mouse and Rat Versions: Mouse arms: 35 cm length, 20 cm central arena; Rat arms: 60 cm length, 30 cm central arena — both providing species-appropriate dimensions for natural foraging behavior.