openflymind

Source data

Connectome

The anatomical basis of openflymind is the FlyEM Male CNS Connectome, version male-cns:v1.0, released under the CC BY 4.0 licence by FlyEM / HHMI Janelia Research Campus, University of Cambridge, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, and Google Research. The team uses this public resource and takes no credit for the original reconstruction.

Use of public data does not imply institutional collaboration.

Visualisation

Connectome explorer

Select a region in the list or in the figure to see what the data show and what is the team's proposed interpretation.

Conceptual illustrationDoes not depict real MaleCNS neurons, coordinates or connections.

Regions

Conceptual illustrationFigure 1 · Dots and lines illustrate the idea of nodes and connections; their placement comes from a deterministic generator, not from the dataset.

Explorer metadata

Dataset
FlyEM Male CNS Connectome
Version
male-cns:v1.0
Source
https://male-cns.janelia.org/
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Filters
No extraction performed yet. The explorer runs in conceptual mode: the figure illustrates the process and does not represent neurons, coordinates or connections from the dataset.
Nodes
—
Edges
—
Coordinate system
n/a
Generated on
—
Checksum
—
Mode
conceptual · illustrative diagram

We do not download the full connectome to the browser: the aggregated weights file in the official download is about 1.1 GB [R3]. The sample is prepared away from the production server, and only what the visualisation needs is published.

Published resource

Resource figures

The figures below describe the resource published by FlyEM and collaborators, each with its source. They do not describe what openflymind has imported, run or integrated with hardware.

Neurons in the source dataset
166,000+166,691 neurons, per the paper abstract (Cell, 2026). Describes the published resource, not what openflymind has implemented.Source[R4]
Cell types
11,691Per the same abstract.Source[R4]
Reference version
MaleCNS v1.0Released 8 Jun 2026; check for changes before scientific implementation.Source[R2][R3]
Coverage
Brain + nerve cordCentral brain, optic lobes and ventral nerve cord of an adult male Drosophila melanogaster.Source[R1]
Synaptic connections (announcement)
~125 millionPer the Google Research announcement of 3 Sep 2026. Not to be converted into matrix dimensions or edge counts.Source[R5]

Method

From anatomy to model

The proposed path from the anatomical map to a running model, in seven steps. Each step is a recorded decision, not a result already obtained.

Always distinguish the available dataset, the imported subset, the model that runs and the hardware that is integrated.

See the mathematical outline on the Research page

  1. Select and record the data

    Identify the neurons, connections and annotations needed, with version, filters, provenance and checksum.

  2. Build a directed graph

    Nodes stand for neurons or explicitly grouped units; edges, for connections present in the data.

  3. Represent connectivity as sparse matrices

    Keep the traceability between computational indices and biological identifiers.

  4. Define the neural dynamics

    Choose update equations, scales, parameters and hypotheses. The anatomical matrix alone does not determine the dynamics.

  5. Connect sensors

    Turn camera signals, and later tactile and auditory sensors, into inputs compatible with the modelled populations.

  6. Connect actuators

    Map model outputs to motion controllers, with physical limits and a safe stop.

  7. Close the loop and measure

    The robot acts in the environment; new stimuli return to the sensors; experiments assess the behaviour.

Provenance

Sources

Scientific and data references consulted for this page, with the date of access.

  1. [R1]
    Janelia — Male CNS Connectome — HHMI Janelia Research Campus, FlyEM Project TeamChosen resource: anatomical coverage, credits and licence. accessed September 21, 2026
  2. [R2]
    MaleCNS — male-cns.janelia.orgVersions, tools and release timeline. accessed September 21, 2026
  3. [R3]
    MaleCNS — DownloadProgrammatic access and data tables. The documentation consulted uses male-cns:v1.0.version male-cns:v1.0 · accessed September 21, 2026
  4. [R4]
    Sexual dimorphism in the complete connectome of the Drosophila male central nervous system — Berg et al., Cell, 2026 (record at Google Research)Paper abstract; neuron and cell-type counts. accessed September 21, 2026
  5. [R5]
    A connectomics milestone: mapping the complete male fruit fly brain — Google ResearchPublished 3 Sep 2026; scale, context and figures. accessed September 21, 2026
  6. [R6]
    Creative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)Attribution, indication of changes and link to the licence. accessed September 21, 2026
  7. [R7]
    Connectome/GoPiGo — GitHub repositoryDocumented precedent of a C. elegans-based model connected to a physical robot. accessed September 21, 2026
  8. [R8]
    FLYNN: Robust Neural Network for Robot Navigation using Fly Brain Topology — arXiv preprint, 2026Female FAFB v783 connectome topology and navigation in MuJoCo. Not to be confused with MaleCNS or with a physical demonstration. accessed September 21, 2026
  9. [R12]
    FlyWireReference for scientific presentation and visual exploration of connectomes; distinct from the chosen dataset. accessed September 21, 2026