Researchers have successfully replicated the zebrafish's optomotor response using simulations and physical robots, which helps maintain position in flowing water, thereby reverse engineering the neural circuits involved.

This work demonstrates that vision alone can be sufficient for zebrafish to perform certain behaviors, challenging previous assumptions about the complexity of sensory inputs needed.

The study also identified two previously unknown neuron types involved in visual response behaviors, deepening our understanding of zebrafish neural mechanisms.

Overall, the research highlights that the integration of neural, physical, and environmental factors is essential for understanding vertebrate behavior, opening new avenues in neuroscience, ethology, and robotics.

Additional studies on eel-like robots suggest that multisensory feedback could enable injured vertebrates, such as eels, to swim after spinal injuries, providing insights into evolutionary adaptations from aquatic to terrestrial environments.

The open-source simulation and robotic tools developed by EPFL facilitate further research into visuomotor coordination across species, emphasizing the role of models and simulations in advancing neuroscience.

This body of work underscores the importance of studying neural function in conjunction with body and environmental interactions, moving beyond isolated neural experiments and incorporating embodied models to reveal neural components and behaviors.