Live data from Hacker News

Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes

newatlas.com

41–50 of 52 posts

Re: Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes

#41
post #18

What I really want is an iOS app that helps me locate insects in a room. Start video feed, analyze pixels for a small object flying around and draw a green box around each while flying and a red box once it lands somewhere. I can take care of the rest.

My dogs do this for me, minus the green box bit. They hear bugs, locate them, and focus on them until I do the rest, then they try to eat the remains.

Wait til you learn about cats. Houseflies are a free interactive toy for them to stalk

Re: Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes

#42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that by "secondary reflection" you are perhaps refering to a direct single reflection, rather than a double bank? But in any case it is very very unlikely that there will anything availible outside of a high caliber optics lab that can reflect cohearant laser beams in such a way as to retain a dangerous power level. The 40 watt laser is needed in order to provide a kill shot in in a small target in millisecon…

I may haven't fully understood your answer, but a typical household mirror could reflect 90% of the laser power in a single coherent direction. Any sufficiently polished metal tool would have dangerous specular direction. I'm not sure of the math for a diffuse reflection, but the laser classification is here for a reason. A human eye being transparent up to the fragile retina, yes, a laser would penetrate the eye and…

any light reflected in a domestic situation will no longer be a cohearant laser.if it was very focused UV it could cause temporary blindness, but a milisecond pulse will not contain enough energy to burn @ 40 watts, all that said, it is a given that certifying lasers for full on autonomous bug zapping(a dream of billions), is a very steep regulatory hill to climb, and will not be decided on redit, or here but as insectides get less effective while also proving to be realy bad for our environment, and the possibility of a true plauge bieng vectored by mosquitos a constant concern, I am absoulutly certain that research into laser bug zappers is going to progress

Re: Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes

#43
I smell scam, for the following reason:

1. this is NOT a product is an Indiegogo fund raising:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/worlds-first-portable-mos...

the product estimated shipment should be * october 2025*

2. In the Indiegogo page, they assert it will use a Lidar ( laser based) and not a mm radar ( based on radio signals );

3. Can a Lidar track something big as a mosquito ? apparently NO:

https://dronelife.com/2025/04/15/sony-launches-worlds-smalle...

the small Lidar for commercial use like the Sony AS-DT1 , advertised like the "World’s Smallest and Lightest Precision LiDAR Sensor" available today hare a resolution of * ±5 centimeters* that is good for an Xenomorph but not for a mosquito and, anyway , for Xenomorph there are better options :-) , see : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS2PtmM9mwU

4. The video of the company on youtube seems just another computer graphic gimmick to sell vaporware, IMHO. There is a prototype someone can independently test ?

They write "Relying on the advancement of lidar detection technology, this sci-fi and magical product will soon truly become a reality", I have to say no, not for now.

Please tell me if I'm wrong.

Re: Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes

#44
post #18

What I really want is an iOS app that helps me locate insects in a room. Start video feed, analyze pixels for a small object flying around and draw a green box around each while flying and a red box once it lands somewhere. I can take care of the rest.

wont your eyes be infinitely better than a phone camera for this?

I often spot the mosquito but lose track of it after a second (against a patterned background) or if it rapdily changes direction (which they seemed to have evolved to do).

Re: Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes

#45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I may haven't fully understood your answer, but a typical household mirror could reflect 90% of the laser power in a single coherent direction. Any sufficiently polished metal tool would have dangerous specular direction. I'm not sure of the math for a diffuse reflection, but the laser classification is here for a reason. A human eye being transparent up to the fragile retina, yes, a laser would penetrate the eye and…

any light reflected in a domestic situation will no longer be a cohearant laser.if it was very focused UV it could cause temporary blindness, but a milisecond pulse will not contain enough energy to burn @ 40 watts, all that said, it is a given that certifying lasers for full on autonomous bug zapping(a dream of billions), is a very steep regulatory hill to climb, and will not be decided on redit, or here but as inse…

Light being coherent and light being dangerous are two completely orthogonal concepts. A laser is dangerous because of the very tight beam, but any household mirror keeps that beam focused. Plus, a mosquito needs 100millijoules to fry (from the intellectual ventures study) which is a lot more than what a retina can handle. The short duration actually makes it even worse, because the eye lids can’t close soon enough to avoid the retina burning (they take 100ms to close). That’s the reason why lasers are classed by power.

A retina being easier to burn than a mosquito is the fundamental reason why we haven’t seen that tech deployed. LiDAR detection with a 2D goniometer + high power laser has been available commercially for a while. There just never was someone to create something so deceptive as to sell a 40watts device as possibly safe.

Re: Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes

#46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I may haven't fully understood your answer, but a typical household mirror could reflect 90% of the laser power in a single coherent direction. Any sufficiently polished metal tool would have dangerous specular direction. I'm not sure of the math for a diffuse reflection, but the laser classification is here for a reason. A human eye being transparent up to the fragile retina, yes, a laser would penetrate the eye and…

any light reflected in a domestic situation will no longer be a cohearant laser.if it was very focused UV it could cause temporary blindness, but a milisecond pulse will not contain enough energy to burn @ 40 watts, all that said, it is a given that certifying lasers for full on autonomous bug zapping(a dream of billions), is a very steep regulatory hill to climb, and will not be decided on redit, or here but as inse…

> any light reflected in a domestic situation will no longer be a cohearant laser.

As incorrect as it is misspelled. Reflections are inherently coherent.

> if it was very focused UV it could cause temporary blindness

The wavelength being UV (which it certainly is not) is irrelevant. Blindness can result from any visible spectrum laser, or from thermal IR damage.

You've lost all credibility to me at this point.

Re: Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes

#47
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

40W is scary strong for a laser. Almost like a nuke compared to a firecracker[0]: > 5 milliwatts is wimpy. We can do better. A 1-watt laser is an extremely dangerous thing. It’s not just powerful enough to blind you—it’s capable of burning skin and setting things on fire. Obviously, they’re not legal for consumer purchase in the US. Just kidding! You can pick one up for $300[1]. [0]: https://what-if.xkcd.com/13/ [1]:…

I imagine it's not a continuous output laser, hunting mosquitoes with one would be insane.

But cool! pew pew!

Re: Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes

#49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

any light reflected in a domestic situation will no longer be a cohearant laser.if it was very focused UV it could cause temporary blindness, but a milisecond pulse will not contain enough energy to burn @ 40 watts, all that said, it is a given that certifying lasers for full on autonomous bug zapping(a dream of billions), is a very steep regulatory hill to climb, and will not be decided on redit, or here but as inse…

Light being coherent and light being dangerous are two completely orthogonal concepts. A laser is dangerous because of the very tight beam, but any household mirror keeps that beam focused. Plus, a mosquito needs 100millijoules to fry (from the intellectual ventures study) which is a lot more than what a retina can handle. The short duration actually makes it even worse, because the eye lids can’t close soon enough t…

darn!, but thanks as well alex, I get it, the human eye is ever so perfectly built to bring in and focus light, and I was spitballing based on the fact of laser eye surgery, which must be ever so carefully managed. I hate mosquitos and the rest of the blood sucking vermin that I have to deal with.The work I get up to is horribly dangerous sometimes, so my evaluation of risk and failure modes is not exactly common....nor do I expect it to be, but come on, hey!, laser bug zapers, it's right up there with personal raceing quadracopters, hoverboards, lightsabers, and colonys on mars. I think that people have a reasonable expectation to get wild and crazy stuff, as it is what keeps them paying for all the ever so meticulously engineered stuff that they can care less about. saftey third.

Re: Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes

#50
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

40W is scary strong for a laser. Almost like a nuke compared to a firecracker[0]: > 5 milliwatts is wimpy. We can do better. A 1-watt laser is an extremely dangerous thing. It’s not just powerful enough to blind you—it’s capable of burning skin and setting things on fire. Obviously, they’re not legal for consumer purchase in the US. Just kidding! You can pick one up for $300[1]. [0]: https://what-if.xkcd.com/13/ [1]:…

I imagine it's not a continuous output laser, hunting mosquitoes with one would be insane.

If it can hurt a mosquito, it is also not something I'd want to hit by eye.
Post reply on HN