Flyling
Feed it
Drop a bit of sugar and put it to bed at night. A slightly hungry fly learns faster, and sleep turns today's lesson into a lasting memory.
A fruit fly you raise
Raise a fruit fly with a real brain.
Flyling is a tiny fly whose learning runs on wiring mapped from a real fruit fly's brain. Teach it to love banana or keep away from vinegar, then watch the cells that changed.
Free. No sign-up to start.
Web demo · preset reactions · it doesn't learn here
Tap a tool to say hi.
How it works
Three things you do every day
A few minutes a day is enough. Memories fade if you skip reviews, and sleep makes them stick, so your fly gives you a reason to come back.
Teach it
Puff banana scent, then give sugar a moment later. Repeat a few times and it starts walking toward banana. Pair a scent with an air puff and it learns to stay away.
Test it
Run the scent test with one scent on each side. Where it walks, and the like-meter, show what stuck.
The brain
See the exact cells that learned
Flyling learns in a model built from the MaleCNS connectome, a cell-by-cell map of a real male fruit fly's brain. Every Flyling hatches with the same wiring. After each lesson you can watch which memory cells lit up and which way the choice tipped.
Its body, its quick reflexes and the scents it likes from birth were made by people. The app's Learn more page lists every part.
Scent and sugar, a few times → memory cells → “Go closer” wins. Tap to replay.
Put it on your desk
Point your camera at a table and Flyling lands there. Switch to the front camera and it stands right in front of you.
Share the moment
Flyling picks highlights like its first lesson or a narrow escape and turns them into 9:16 clips with its brain on screen.
Clips stay on your phoneThey're made on your device and go only where you send them.
No sign-up to startLink Apple or Google later to keep your fly on a new phone.
In 8 languagesEnglish, Español, Français, Deutsch, Русский, 한국어, 日本語, 简体中文.
FAQ
Good questions
Is Flyling a real fly?
No. It's a simulation: a simplified copy of part of a real fruit fly's brain, running on your phone. It acts like a fly, but it isn't one.
Does it really learn?
Yes. Each lesson changes connection strengths inside its brain model, so what your fly likes depends on what you taught it. Skip reviews and memories fade.
How much does it cost?
Flyling is free.
Do I need an account?
No. Your fly starts on your phone right away. Link Apple or Google in Settings if you want to keep it when you change phones.
What happens to my data?
Training records sync to our server so your fly is safe. Clips and camera images never leave your phone. The privacy policy has the details.
Where does the brain data come from?
The wiring comes from the MaleCNS connectome v1.0 by Janelia FlyEM (Berg et al., Cell 2026). Scent responses come from published lab measurements (DoOR 2.0).
Your fly is waiting for its first lesson.
Coming soon to iPhone and Android. Try the demo above while you wait.