Fly Nervous System Map and Its Use in Games
Researchers have published a complete map of the fruit fly nervous system, which enthusiasts are using to control game characters.
Teams from HHMI Janelia, Google Research, and other organizations have described more than 166,000 neurons and about 125 million connections in the fruit fly's central nervous system. All the collected data has been made publicly available.
Based on this map, enthusiasts are building computer models that connect to classic games such as DOOM and Super Mario 64. The digital fly also recreates the Bad Apple!! animation, plays Beat Saber, and is learning to drive in the CARLA simulator.
The way it works is that signals are fed into virtual neurons, and their activity is converted into in-game actions. The models themselves are available for download and can be run on GitHub.
Based on a post in the Redragon Telegram channel from September 10, 2026. Open the post ↗
