Scientists invented laser AI device, which can accurately detect and suppress co

For friends living in the south, cockroaches (commonly known as "cockroaches") may be the most common creatures in their living areas. This kind of "natural enemy", which makes female friends frightened at the news, has a strong vitality and a surprisingly strong reproductive capacity. A mature male cockroach can produce 14-40 eggs in a week or two, and about 100000 small cockroaches can be bred every year. However, it is impossible to resist the cockroach army by stepping on it.

In a study published in the journal Oriental Insects last week, scientists from Heriot Watt University in the UK introduced a machine vision laser insect automatic control device they invented, and demonstrated a series of experiments on domestic cockroaches. These laser devices can not only detect cockroaches with high accuracy, but also suppress and stop individual insects within a distance of 1.2 meters.

Photo source: Heriot Watt University

This is a continuation of an earlier project carried out by researcher Ildar Rakhmatulin, in which he used raspberry pie and lasers to kill mosquitoes. However, in this project, Rakhmatulin uses a different computer to detect vulnerabilities more accurately.

Rakhmatulin explained: "I started using the Jetson Nano, which allows me to use depth learning technology to detect objects with higher accuracy." The Jetson Nano is a small computer that can run machine learning algorithms. This computer processes digital signals from two cameras to determine the location of cockroaches. It transmits this information to a galvanometer (a machine that measures current), thereby changing the direction of the laser target.

According to the paper, Rakhmatulin tried this configuration on lasers of different power levels. At a lower power level, he found that he could influence the behavior of cockroaches by simply using lasers to trigger their flight responses; In this way, they may be trained not to hide in specific dark areas, thus exposing themselves and being destroyed. At a higher laser energy level, cockroaches are effectively killed.

Rakhmatulin also provided all the data and instructions free of charge, and pointed out that others could try as long as they took appropriate precautions.

This solution uses very cheap hardware and cheap technology, and is open source. All the resources are uploaded to GitHub, and this scheme can not only kill cockroaches, but also kill other agricultural pests.

It is cheaper than other current pest control technologies (the total cost of all equipment does not exceed $250), and it is also more compact in size. However, there are still some difficulties in large-scale deployment of this device. For example, smaller laser spots can be more effective in killing cockroaches, but it is difficult to achieve in experiments, and it is not easy to accurately control which part of the cockroach body is hit.

Source: OFweek