IGNIS

They are now making fruit flies write. They are even using them to create entire fonts. The method is surprisingly fascinating. First, an image of a letter is projected into the fruit fly’s eye. The visual information is transmitted through its visual neurons and processed by a trained neural network connected to its neural circuitry. The resulting signal is then sent to the motor neurons controlling the fly’s right foreleg. Those motor neurons activate the leg muscles, causing the fly to move its foreleg in a specific pattern that traces the shape of the letter. A tiny black pen is attached to the foreleg, allowing the movement to leave an actual written mark on the surface. In other words, visual information enters through the fly’s eyes, is translated into neural commands, and ultimately becomes physical handwriting through its own muscles. Researchers have even used this system to create fonts based on the letters drawn by fruit flies. At this point, I’m becoming increasingly curious about what else fruit flies could be made to do.