The Forced Swim Test (FST) is a widely used preclinical paradigm for assessing depression-like behavior and screening antidepressant efficacy in rodents. Animals are placed in a water-filled cylinder, and their movements are continuously monitored to quantify active versus passive coping strategies over time. Traditional manual scoring is labor-intensive and vulnerable to observer bias, limiting throughput and reproducibility.

 

Clever Sys automates the Forced Swim Test using high-resolution video capture and AI-based behavior recognition. Our system objectively classifies mobility states, extracts detailed temporal and spatial metrics, and generates standardized reports suitable for regulatory and GLP environments. This automation improves data quality, supports robust dose–response studies, and enables consistent cross-study comparisons for academic, pharmaceutical, and CRO laboratories focused on mood disorder research.