Yay, more ways to kill insects! /s
Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes
11–20 of 52 posts
Re: Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes
#12Maybe it doesn't hurt eyes, but I guess wide adoption of this tech would lay a minefield for mirrorless camera sensors.
Re: Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes
#13This idea has been around for decades. Microsoft alum fights malaria by zapping mosquitoes with lasers | ZDNET https://share.google/qd3yWi72Zk9yRyxoh
That is addressed in the article: "The concept of a laser-based mosquito defence system took off back in 2007, when astrophysicist Lowell Wood (one of the architects of the USA's famous Reagan-era "Star Wars" missile defence initiative) raised the idea of a smaller, mosquito-targeting laser system at a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation brainstorming session on eliminating malaria. Over the following years, prototypes w…
> which was more interested in owning the patent than making a product.
I really hope that after copyright protections (insanely long, IMO) get revamped in the LLM aftermath, we start focusing on patent law. Patents were always in my mind a way to protect small_inventor from big_bad_corp, and give them a breathing room to get a product to market. We should really focus on this, and make patents moot as long as a) a working prototype is not demonstrated, b) the patent holder doesn't pursue the tech, c) a small domain-specific timeframe (less for medicine for example) and d) it's really really generic (i.e. a method to have LLM agents work in a loop - no, bobby, everyone can do that.)
Re: Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes
#14Yay, more ways to kill insects! /s
In the original prototype that was covered some years ago by the gates foundation, they specifically had a way to detect female mosquitoes (by the wing flapping rates, iirc) so they don't just zap indiscriminately.
Re: Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes
#15This product brings back fond memories to one of those early-internet gems: the "Star Wars mosquito defence system" gag infomercial that was launched 18 years (!) ago: https://youtu.be/wSIWpFPkYrk
Re: Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes
#16“the device additionally uses millimeter-wave radar to scan its field of view for larger objects such as people and pets. If any of these are detected, its mosquito-zapping laser will not fire” I’d want to see some third-party testing around eye safety before putting this in my home.
There is no eye safety - if it burns mosquito then it burns your retina. And if you aren't moving, lets say sleeping, would the device decide it is ok to fire? Instead of laser, they should have made a mechanical hand with fly zapper, fragile/soft enough to not injure people and pets, yet strong enough to kill mosquito. Or even like in that movie where kung-fu master catches a fly using chopsticks :)
> And if you aren't moving, lets say sleeping,
This isn't the best example, how is it supposed to hit your retina if your eyes are closed?
Re: Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes
#17This needs to be sized up and made to defend against kamikaze drones. Soon, very soon, everybody will want this to feel safe.
Re: Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes
#18What 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.
Re: Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes
#19I've been waiting for something like this for ages.
The fact it doesn't do houseflies is a huge downer though.
Re: Laser-wielding device is like an anti-aircraft system for mosquitoes
#20This is safety-critical software: one mistake will blind a person. > "Importantly, the device additionally uses millimeter-wave radar to scan its field of view for larger objects such as people and pets. If any of these are detected, its mosquito-zapping laser will not fire." I note the startup doesn't actually disclose the laser output power anywhere, or what regulatory class that power level falls in. It's federal…
They do in a YouTube video on their channel [0]. It’s 40 (!) watts. They also show it shooting indiscriminately at any small object, with an example where they feed it foam chips.