researchers at the university of sheffield have discovered that the visual system of flies is far more active than previously thought. rather than passively perceiving their environment, these insects use microsaccadic eye movements to help their brains process what is happening around them more quickly and accurately.
each fly’s eye is composed of numerous small visual units. during sudden movements, the brain “switches on” a high-frequency signaling mode, thereby accelerating information transmission. as a result, the insect’s responses are completed within milliseconds—sometimes even before the image has fully formed.
scientists believe this principle could profoundly impact the development of artificial intelligence and robotics. current ai models require substantial computational power and high energy consumption, whereas the fly’s brain operates on just a few milliwatts of power.
the authors suggest that integrating motion and perception into a single process could help design faster, more energy-efficient neural networks, neuromorphic chips, autonomous driving systems, and machine-vision systems for robots.
