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Malaria-Carrying Mosquitos Get Zapped by Bug-Sensing Lasers

by Caleb Johnson on February 16, 2010 at 10:15 AM


It's no secret that malaria is a huge problem in developing nations. Bill Gates has even brought the problem to the attention of the American public. But here's the question: how do we battle this deadly disease?

According to Intellectual Ventures Lab, lasers could be the key to saving thousands of lives. Think of this system as a bug zapper on steroids. Now, this idea isn't a new development in the battle against malaria, but that doesn't make it any less cool. When a bug crosses the invisible barrier of the Photonic Fence, the software program emits a non-lethal laser on the insect. If it's a harmless bumblebee, it goes free. But if it's a mosquito, a second lethal laser blasts the bug to smithereens. So how does the system distinguish between a skeeter and a civilian? The non-lethal laser is able to estimate the bug's size and to determine how fast its wings are beating before firing on it.

It's like a hi-tech mosquito net. While you may think this sounds too costly, many of the necessary electronic components can be found in camcorders, video game consoles or laser printers. We're sure Gates and his wife have plenty of those lying around their mega-mansion. So we're hoping this becomes a commonplace reality sooner than later. [From: Intellectual Ventures Lab, via: Geekologie]

Tags: bugs, disease, health, intellectual ventures lab, IntellectualVenturesLab, laser, malaria, mosquito, top

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