ABSTRACT
Studies of the behavior of all types of organisms are plagued by large variations in individual behavior. Usually, one is most interested in the average behavior of a population and much less in individual variation. In many instances, the information sought concerns relatively simple questions about the movements of the subjects. When this is the case and a suitable group of subjects can be viewed simultaneously by a camera, it is possible to have a computer automatically track the movements of the individuals and average together appropriate data about their behavior. The summary data can then be reported continuously within seconds of its occurrence. This data could be used directly or used to control some event in real-time.
