Firefly race – watch brains learn in realtime

This visualization lets you watch a fruit-fly-inspired neural system learn in real time using several different approaches. This architecture is capable of navigating a small maze, also included in the visualization.

Click on any fly to see a visualization of its brain. You can select a fly at the start to follow its progress over time.

Although the term "evolution" is used, this refers to a genetic-algorithm process: selecting high-performing brains and combining them through crossover, without learning from experience within an individual lifetime.

The visualization includes different training methods: pure evolution (genetic algorithms only), backpropagation (gradient descent only), a hybrid approach (evolution plus backpropagation), and a small attention-based model (three flies). Be sure you click a fly and check its brain at the start and after a few generations. The visualization is excellent.