Rice University researchers have demonstrated how to control fruit flies remotely by hacking their brains. The flies performed a specific action in less than a second after receiving instruction.

The researchers began by genetically modifying the flies so that some of their neurons exhibited a particular heat-sensitive ion channel. This channel would activate a neuron when it detected heat, and in this situation, that neuron led the fly to expand its wings, which is a motion they frequently make when mating.

Iron oxide nanoparticles were inserted into the insects’ brains as the heat trigger. These particles heat up when a magnetic field is activated nearby, which causes the neurons to fire and the fly to take the spread-wing posture.

The scientists kept these modified flies in a tiny box above a magnetic coil to test the technology and then monitored them using overhead cameras. And as expected, the flies expanded their wings within a half-second of the magnetic field being activated.

Jacob Robinson, a study author, explained:

“To study the brain or to treat neurological disorders, the scientific community is searching for tools that are both incredibly precise but also minimally invasive. Remote control of select neural circuits with magnetic fields is somewhat of a holy grail for neurotechnologies.

Our work takes an important step toward that goal because it increases the speed of remote magnetic control, making it closer to the natural speed of the brain.”

The team’s primary objective is to use this technology to help individuals with vision impairments regain some sight. For example, they might be able to avoid the eyes by stimulating the visual cortex essentially. Similar methods have been utilized to control mouse movement, which may lead to more effective treatments for mobility problems with brain-based origins.

The project’s funding source, DARPA, has other ideas. The ultimate goal is to create a headset that can read neural activity in one person’s brain and write it to the brain of another, thus transferring thoughts or experiences between people. Spooky!

The study’s results were revealed in the journal Nature Materials on June 27, 2022, and the following video shows the remote-controlled flies opening their wings.