Project description
From fruit flies to smart autonomous robotics
Navigating complex terrains is easy for animals but remains a significant challenge for modern robots. This difficulty exists because animal movement relies on ‘morphological intelligence’, the seamless integration of nervous systems with physical body structures. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the TACTOR project will investigate how fruit flies use leg sensors and body shapes to navigate obstacles. By tracking 3D leg movements and using light to activate specific neurons, the project aims to uncover how biological systems coordinate real-time responses. Furthermore, it will record neural activity and develop artificial sensors to test how physical design enhances touch. TACTOR’s goal is to stimulate the development of next-generation bio-inspired sensors, enabling advances in the fields of autonomous robotics and smart prosthetics.
Objective
Navigating over complex and varying terrain is a fundamental challenge that animals tackle with ease, but even state-of-the-art robots struggle to achieve. Reverse-engineering animal sensorimotor control and active tactile sensing can provide crucial insights for designing autonomous robots and smart prosthetics. Unraveling these mechanisms is challenging because neural processing via mechanosensors and body structures (known as morphological intelligence) are tightly coupled. This project will study how animals gather information about the environment through touch, using Drosophila. In particular, it will uncover how leg mechanosensors and leg morphologies work together to enable robust tactile exploration. First, I will identify which leg mechanosensors and segments enable flies to detect and navigate obstacles. By quantifying 3D limb kinematics during obstacle encounters and using optogenetic activation of specific mechanosensory neurons, I will reveal how individual sensors and leg mechanics drive real-time obstacle detection and avoidance. Second, I will elucidate how mechanical interactions are encoded in neuronal activity. By recording population activity of mechanosensory neurons using two-photon calcium imaging during controlled mechanical stimulation, I will uncover how the spatial arrangement and co-activation of leg bristles encode tactile information. Finally, to evaluate how mechanosensor morphologies and arrangement enhance tactile sensing, I will fabricate artificial mechanosensors to systematically compare configurations and reveal how sensor geometry and alignment improve spatial and directional encoding. This project will pioneer a new understanding of how morphological intelligence contributes to environmental sensing and navigation. It will advance our knowledge of sensory encoding in animals and inform the design of bioinspired tactile sensors that go beyond the state of the art in robotics.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry alkaline earth metals
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering sensors
- natural sciences mathematics pure mathematics geometry
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering robotics
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology implants
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1015 Lausanne
Switzerland
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