We are reverse-engineering the fly, Drosophila melanogaster, to understand how animals leverage social information, learn about the world, and generate flexible motor behaviors. We believe that our efforts will uncover general insights into biological intelligence and can inform the design of better artificial systems and robots.
Adult flies are ideal for this goal: they generate complex behaviors yet have a small nervous system and can be manipulated genetically. For our research we develop and use a variety of approaches including microscopy, machine learning, genetics, and computational modeling. At EPFL, we are part of the Brain Mind Institute and Institute of Bioengineering in the School of Life Sciences. Enjoy your visit!
Here is a short video that explains a bit of our scientific approach
