This bug-zapping laser device can tell good insects from the bad ones

5 months ago

A tech company in the US has built a prototype device that can target specific insects without endangering the lives of others.

Inventors at the Intellectual Ventures Lab (IVL) in Seattle, US, have developed the Photonic Fence, which scans for insects and targets them based on their wing beat frequency, shape, size and the speed at which it travels.

“This approach could offer a new tool for mosquito control that works without constant human attention and with no collateral damage to the local ecology,” IVL says on its website.

“It would be used to complement bed nets, insecticides, and other existing vector control techniques.”

The device is able to distinguish between mosquitoes, butterflies, and bumblebees and can even determine whether a mosquito is male or female.

“This is important to know because only female mosquitoes bite humans,” IVL adds.

Using cameras and software linked to the device, the Photonic Fence is able to search for its targets and track them in flight.

When a mosquito is identified as one from the kill list, the device shoots it with its laser.

“For the lethal demo, you start with a box of 25 mosquitoes and within a few seconds, there are 25 mosquito corpses on the floor of the box,” says project lead Arty Makagon.

If trials are successful, the device could be used as insect repellents in hotels, offices, public places, or even homes.

Makagon says there is also a possibility of the Fence being used in agriculture to target pests.

“One application might be in agriculture, where the fence could protect crops from pests such as Asian citrus psyllid, which feeds on citrus leaves and stems, and can cause serious plant disease,” he said.