Nature inspires new generation of robot brains

Animals have evolved sophisticated ways of processing sensory data to make sense of their surroundings. Now, robotics researchers are drawing inspiration from biological processes to improve the way machines handle information, perceive their surroundings, and react to stimuli. While the human brain is often seen as the ultimate model for robotic intelligence, scientists are also learning plenty from the neurobiological structures and processes of more humble creatures, from fruit flies to rodents. Take the fruit fly – or rather, the maggot that grows up to be a fruit fly. Drosophila fruit fly larvae have fewer than 10 000 neurons – compared to about 100 billion in the human brain.