OLED Based Closed-Loop Fly Arena

Researchers studying neurodegenerative diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease commonly use Drosophila melanogaster to investigate neural circuits and visual processing because flies share many fundamental neurological mechanisms with humans. The primary users of this project are researchers in the Drexel Neural Circuit Laboratory, including Catherine von Reyn and her research team, who perform tethered flight experiments to study how flies respond to visual stimuli. However, the current projector-based setup introduces several limitations, including image distortion, brightness instability, long calibration times, motion blur, and lack of true closed-loop interaction. These issues reduce experimental reproducibility and the accuracy of behavioral data collected during neuroscience research.

To address these limitations, several key design inputs were established. The system required a minimum refresh rate of 120 Hz to better match the fly visual system, a display resolution of at least 1080p to improve visual detail, a curved geometry greater than 120 degrees to create immersive stimuli, continuous operation for 12 hours, and safe operating temperatures below 26°C to protect fly welfare.

The proposed solution utilized a flexible OLED display integrated into a curved experimental arena. OLED technology was selected because it provides high contrast, true blacks, fast pixel response times, wide color range, and flexible geometry. Verification testing demonstrated that the system successfully met the 12-hour runtime and fly temperature requirements. Although the display reached 120 Hz, refresh rate instability prevented reliable long-term performance. Despite this limitation, the project demonstrated the potential of curved OLED technology to improve neuroscience experiments by providing more immersive and reproducible visual stimuli for future research applications.