The fruit fly, <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>, as a microrobotics platform.

ABSTRACT: Engineering small autonomous agents capable of operating in the microscale environment remains a key challenge, with current systems still evolving. Our study explores the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, a classic model system in biology and a species adept at microscale interaction, as a biological platform for microrobotics. Initially, we focus on remotely directing the walking paths of fruit flies in an experimental arena. We accomplish this through two distinct approaches: harnessing the fruit flies' optomotor response and optogenetic modulation of its olfactory system. These techniques facilitate reliable and repeated guidance of flies between arbitrary spatial locations. We guide flies along predetermined trajectories, enabling them to scribe patterns resembling textual ch

SUBMITTER: Iwasaki K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12012547 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature