Every sip counts
flyPAD
Automated Feeding Behavior Monitor
The flyPAD (fly Proboscis and Activity Detector) uses capacitance-based sensing to automatically detect and quantify feeding behavior in Drosophila melanogaster with single-sip resolution. Monitor up to 96 individual flies per system, and run several systems in parallel to measure several hundreds of flies simultaneously.
Key Features
High-Throughput Screening
Monitor hundreds of flies simultaneously by running several 96-channel systems in parallel. Run large-scale genetic or pharmacological screens with ease.
Single-Sip Resolution
Detect individual proboscis-food interactions at 100 Hz. Quantify sip number, duration, and inter-sip intervals with millisecond precision.
Food Preference Assays
Two-choice feeding arenas let you measure food preference simultaneously with intake. No dye needed — purely electronic detection.
Feeding Microstructure
Analyze feeding motor programs: burst duration, inter-burst intervals, activity bouts. Reveal pharmacological or genetic effects invisible to bulk assays.
Automated & Reproducible
Eliminate observer bias. Automated detection ensures consistent, reproducible results across experiments and labs.
Publication-Ready Output
Generate figures and statistics directly from acquisition data. Used in more than 200 published studies.
Try the live demo ↓Technical Specifications
| Detection Method | State-of-the-art capacitance-based proximity sensor. fF resolution. |
| Channels | 96 channels per system (48 flies with 2-choice configuration or 96 flies with a single food choice option) |
| Scalability | Using several systems in parallel allows to monitor up to several hundreds of individual animals simultaneously |
| Sampling Rate | 100 Hz (100 samples/second) |
| Resolution | Single sip detection |
| Software | Open-source and customizable interface based on Bonsai for data acquisition. Easy-to-use and intuitive MATLAB and Python software for data analysis. Possibilities for software customization. |
| Output | Publication-ready data and figures and full control over data analysis |
| Food Types | Solid and liquid |
Note on Food Types
We recommend using solid (1–2% agarose-based) food for our assays, especially in Diptera. This allows the system to capture feeding at the highest possible resolution due to the different mode of intake on solid foods. Liquid food can also be used, but it will produce a different behavior — pumping instead of sipping — and is more difficult to quantify. However, we are successfully using liquids for mosquitoes and other insects.
Data Analysis Software
Try the flyPAD data analysis software right in your browser. Load sample data, explore feeding parameters, and generate publication-ready figures.
Select Data
Point the software to your folder of CapacitanceData files. It auto-detects files and experiment structure.
Configure
Choose your hardware configuration, name substrates and experimental conditions, and set analysis parameters.
Analyze
Click "Finish" and the software processes all channels automatically — sip detection, burst clustering, and statistics.
Publication-Ready Output
Get interactive plots with pan/zoom, plus auto-exported PNG figures at 600 DPI, SVG, and Excel datasheets.
Sample Output
All figures below were generated automatically by the software from a single experiment — 32 flies, two food substrates, 1-hour recording.
Activity bouts, feeding bursts, sip counts — with statistical comparisons and cumulative timecourses.
Load Sample Data
Pre-loaded datasets from published experiments
Interactive Figures
Box plots, time series, preference indices
Export Results
Download figures and data tables
How It Works
The flyPAD detects feeding using a high-sensitivity capacitance-to-digital converter that measures tiny changes in capacitance between two electrodes — one beneath the fly and one embedded in the food. When a fly extends its proboscis to interact with food, the proximity of the proboscis alters the electric field between the electrodes, producing a measurable capacitance shift at femtofarad (fF) resolution.
This principle is similar to how your smartphone's touchscreen works, but the flyPAD uses a dedicated capacitance-to-digital converter optimized for ultra-low-power, high-sensitivity proximity detection — capable of resolving the tiny proboscis of a single Drosophila at 100 samples per second.
Data acquisition runs through the open-source Bonsai framework, enabling real-time visualization and flexible experimental protocols.
Fly feeding on the flyPAD
flyPAD vs Traditional Methods
| Feature | flyPAD | CAFE Assay | Dye-Based |
|---|---|---|---|
| Throughput | Hundreds of flies (parallel systems) | ~30 flies | ~50 flies |
| Temporal Resolution | 10ms (single sip) | Hours (endpoint) | Hours (endpoint) |
| Automation | Fully automated | Manual reads | Manual processing |
| Feeding Microstructure | Yes | No | No |
| Observer Bias | None | Moderate | High |
Key Publications
Automated monitoring and quantitative analysis of feeding behaviour in Drosophila
Nature Communications (2014) | 246 citations
View publication →Automated analysis of feeding behaviors of females of the mosquito Aedes aegypti using a modified flyPAD system
Scientific Reports (2023)
View publication →Related Applications
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