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This talk presents an overview of a research program aimed at using autonomous robots to model infant mammals. We are investigating the development of sensorimotor behavior in infant Norway rat pups (age 7 to 10 days) both in groups and alone. We have developed physical and simulated robots that model aspects of the shape and tactile capabilities of pups. When placed in a rectangular arena, rat pups display patterns of behavior expected of thigmotactic organisms. They tend to follow walls, end up in corners, and when in groups, aggregate in corners. The patterns we observe are difficult to replicate with deterministic thigmotactic architectures instantiated in autonomous robots. However, when robots are programmed to move about randomly, alone or in groups in an arena, they display behavior that match qualitatively and quantitatively patterns observed in pups. We conclude that thigmotactic-like patterns of behavior (e.g., aggregation, wall-following) can emerge from non-thigmotactic rules, but further work is required to determine the ridged versus flexible bodies in generating these patterns.