Knocking down free-flight adult mosquitoes via dynamic tracking

Elimination of virus-carrying insects, such as mosquitoes, by an efficient method is of primary importance to preventing the dissemination of infectious diseases and consequentially reducing the health and financial burden on human society. Research herein entails the design, characterization, and implementation of a structurally simple and cost-effective electro-optical system for mosquito-hunting, which is optimized with a system response time under 1.25 ms considering the average mosquito flight speed of 0.2777 m/s, capable of locating the free-flight adult mosquito and knocking it down, synchronously, without any post data-processing. Empirically, the visible-near-infrared absorption spectra of three mosquito species, namely, Culex piplens molestus, Aedes albopictus, and Armigeres subalbatus, were acquired to examine the disparity in photo-absorption property among different mosquito species and help determine an optimal wavelength for injuring the insects. Armigeres subalbatus, a natural transmission vector of filariasis to humans, was employed for the evaluation of the system’s efficacy. By introducing a free-flight mosquito about 20 cm in front of an dichroic mirror that combines two optical beams for detection and eradication, a dynamically tracking photonic antenna with a maximal area of 45 mm by 39 mm can continuously track the insect and then knock it down by an instant exposure of a lethal beam with average energy ranging from 75 mJ to 155 mJ. Moreover, the dependence of the fate of the insects on the lethal beam energy dosage is statistically assessed. Overall, this research has successfully demonstrated the concept of the synchronizing scheme of identification and eradication with over 60% of mortality rate once the energy dosage is increased above 75mJ, and may be applicable to the control of other insects or avian animals.