Well actually, this design is pretty innovative, and doesn't seem to be doing too much harm to the rats. Its a test that will one day hopefully allow paraplegic and other disabled (eventually human) beings to use their minds to control their wheelchairs. The RatCar controlled by electrodes implanted directly into the rodent driver's motor cortex, unlike other devices that use non-invasive sensors. In the test, they had the follow a track and note its travel path. After it moved around freely for awhile, they attached the rats limbs to the car and turned on the car in to "neuro-robotic mode." 6 out of 8 rats seemed to adapt to the car very well, but there's still some speculation as to how much the rats were using their mind.
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