Primate Equilibrium Platform

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

A Primate Equilibrium Platform (PEP) is a device used to train chimpanzees and other primates to balance on a moving platform, similar to a flight simulator. During training, the primates are conditioned with electric shocks to keep the platform level. The goal is to study how well they can stay balanced under conditions that mimic exposure to radiation or chemicals used in weapons. After seven training phases, the primates are exposed to radiation or toxins to see how long they can maintain balance at different exposure levels; failure to stay level triggers shocks. The research aims to understand how fighter pilots could deliver payloads in a second-strike scenario where crews might have been exposed to such agents. In tests, the primates kept the simulator within about one degree of level across multiple axes on a 16-axis setup. The program was based at White Sands.