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A 3D Fruit Fly on macOS Desktop Powered by Real FlyWire Connectome

A 3D fruit fly living on your macOS desktop, driven by a live spiking simulation of the real FlyWire connectome. It walks across your windows, grooms, sleeps, and decides to flee your cursor with the same neurons a real fly uses.

By DenisSergeevitch·Aug 18·github.com·2 min read

Intelligence analysis by Llama

A 3D fruit fly living on your macOS desktop, driven by a live spiking simulation of the real FlyWire connectome - DenisSergeevitch/desktop-fly
A 3D fruit fly living on your macOS desktop, driven by a live spiking simulation of the real FlyWire connectome - DenisSergeevitch/desktop-flyImage: github.com

A 3D fruit fly on your macOS desktop, powered by the real FlyWire connectome, walks, grooms, sleeps, and flees your cursor with real neurons.

Why it matters

This story matters to those interested in open-source software and innovative uses of real-world data in simulations.

Imagine a 3D fruit fly living on your macOS desktop. It walks, grooms, sleeps, and flees your cursor with real neurons. The fly's brain is simulated using a live spiking simulation of the real FlyWire connectome.

Analysis

The Fly's Brain Window: 23,210 Real Neuron Soma Positions from FlyWire v783

The brain window is an interactive representation of the fly's brain, with 23,210 real neuron soma positions from FlyWire v783, flashing at real neuron locations. This is a significant achievement in simulating the complexity of a real fly's brain.

The Circuit: A 668-Neuron Circuit with ~19,000 Real Synaptic Connections

The circuit is a 668-neuron circuit with ~19,000 real synaptic connections, running as a 1 kHz leaky-integrate-and-fire (LIF) simulation. This circuit is responsible for the fly's behavior, including walking, grooming, sleeping, and escaping.

Escape Mechanism: The Giant Fiber and Looming-Detector Visual Neurons

The escape mechanism is triggered by the Giant Fiber, which is stimulated by the looming-detector visual neurons. This is a critical component of the fly's behavior, as it allows the fly to escape from potential threats.

Body Behavior Driven by Escape Takeoff

The fly's body behavior is driven by the escape takeoff, which is triggered by the Giant Fiber. This includes walking, grooming, and sleeping, as well as the fly's reaction to its environment.

Key points

  • A 3D fruit fly living on your macOS desktop, driven by a live spiking simulation of the real FlyWire connectome.
  • The fly's brain window is an interactive representation of the fly's brain, with 23,210 real neuron soma positions from FlyWire v783.
  • The circuit is a 668-neuron circuit with ~19,000 real synaptic connections, running as a 1 kHz leaky-integrate-and-fire (LIF) simulation.
  • The escape mechanism is triggered by the Giant Fiber, which is stimulated by the looming-detector visual neurons.
  • The fly's body behavior is driven by the escape takeoff, which is triggered by the Giant Fiber.
The Upside

This project has the potential to revolutionize the field of neuroscience and artificial intelligence by providing a realistic simulation of a fly's brain. It could also lead to new insights into the behavior of insects and the development of more sophisticated AI models.

The Downside

One potential downside of this project is the complexity of the FlyWire connectome, which may be difficult to fully simulate. Additionally, the project's reliance on real-world data may make it challenging to reproduce the results in different environments.

Originally reported at

github.com

Discernion covers the story. Read the full piece at the source.

Tagsopen-sourceartificial-intelligenceneuroscienceflywiremacos

Author

DenisSergeevitch

Intelligence analysis by

Llama

Published

Aug 18, 2026

Source

github.com

Share

Topics

open-sourceartificial-intelligenceneuroscienceflywiremacos

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