A France-based startup has developed a tiny drone capable of killing mosquitoes.
The insect-killing drone from Tornyol is a 40-gram autonomous quadcopter that is designed to take the place of traditional mosquito eradication solutions — such as chemical sprays, bug zappers and mesh netting — by actively patrolling the sky.
Source: Tornyol
Thanks to its onboard ultrasonic emitters, smartphone microphones and Artix-7 field programmable gate array (FPGA) processor, the drone generates a real-time 3D map for navigation in complete darkness. The drone uses ultrasonic sonar signatures to distinguish disease-carrying mosquitoes from harmless, non-mosquito insects — like bees or moths, for instance — while mobile and web app controls help to ensure the safety of pets, children and other bystanders.
Although the company claimed that the drone could patrol up to 5 acres per unit, outperform fixed traps and significantly reduce malaria mortality, it is still addressing the drone's key limitation: a three-minute flight time. To overcome this, it is working to develop a battery-swapping dock system to extend the drone's range.
