

Laser Fence Zaps Mosquitoes In Flight - mhb
http://spectrum.ieee.org/consumer-electronics/gadgets/backyard-star-wars/0

======
billybob
If you have a short attention span, just scroll down and watch the video.
Awesome.

DIE, LITTLE BLOODSUCKERS!! :)

On a side note, in Asia I got the chance to use a device that's like a tennis
racket with a bug zapper sandwiched between finger-impermeable outer net
layers. So it's hard to shock yourself, but swing it through a cloud of
mosquitos, and they pop, burn and die in a very satisfying manner.

It's hard to avoid maniacal laughter.

~~~
shrikant
I have this, and I concur heartily. In Tamil, it's called a 'kosubat'
(unofficial name - literally translates to 'mosquito bat')

Sometimes it is a lot of fun (and good exercise!) to dance around the house to
Johann Strauss' _The Blue Danube_ zapping the life outta the little pests.

------
sdfx
I love this very tongue in cheek, over-engineered solution to a real problem.
It seems the authors are well aware that there are more cost-effective ways of
dealing with the problem. But shooting the critters out of the air, one by one
speaks to the geek in all of us. This would be a great "give one get one"
device, but then again, giving to more conventional causes for malaria
prevention is probably more useful.

------
MWinther
We had a scam over here a bunch of years ago that took the low-tech route
instead. Easy-to-use, painless and fast mosquito-killing system advertised.
Upon payment, the lucky owner received two pieces of plywood with a handle on
each, plus instructions on how to quickly move the plywood pieces together
with the mosquito between them.

I had fun laughing at the audacity at the time, but I think using this system
I'd actually have fun using the system instead of having fun at the expense of
the users. =)

------
v3rt
This is a cool engineering project, but hardly seems like an efficient
approach, at thousands (hundreds at best) of dollars a pop. Traditional
chemical elimination methods (C02 traps, pesticides) seem much more effective,
and biological approaches are probably the most promising (see
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterile_insect_technique>).

~~~
sdfx
And in case you want a local, mechanical option - don't those electric fly
killers with the blue light work for mosquitoes as well?

~~~
ars
Blue light does not attract mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes are actually attracted to infrared light - the exact opposite of
blue light. And CO2.

------
Vivtek
Yet another idea I had when I was a kid, now wending its way towards the
market.

~~~
billybob
I wanted a sprinkler system with lasers instead of water. Pop up, laser the
grass in all directions, pop down. Just make sure nobody's in the yard, first.
:)

In practice this is probably a terrible idea - your beautiful green grass is
constantly being burned on top.

~~~
nfnaaron
Which is worse, cauterization or hacking with a mower blade?

~~~
danudey
I'd say cauterization. Wouldn't it prevent the grass from growing anymore, as
well as looking terrible (burnt on top)?

~~~
Vivtek
Grass grows from the root up, i.e. it's not like a tree. Whether you chop it
off with a laser or with high-speed steel, it's going to keep growing from the
root; it's evolved to grow after being chopped off by sheep's teeth, after
all.

------
char
I absolutely love this. I also applaud them for making sure they only zap the
evil mosquitoes and not other friendly bugs, such as moths, who are not trying
to suck my blood in exchange for a nasty, itchy welt.

------
thribbler
>but if your virtual fence is 3 to 5 meters high, it can catch almost all
mosquitoes that fly by

Yeah...it's never going to work unless they eliminate _all_ the bugs.

~~~
Vivtek
Not so. If you keep the population down, you're already doing a great deal to
stop the spread of disease - especially if you're mostly keeping population
down in populated areas, where sick people tend to be located.

This is fantastic.

