Scientists in Seattle Building Mosquito Targeting Laser?!

Wow. This is just the sort of thing I wish I had on my many camping trips as a child or for my Spring time excursions to Fairmount Park.

Scientists in Seattle are making a laser gun that can lock on to moving targets. The laser gun is intended to go after mosquitoes, especially those that are carrying malaria. About 1 million people die per year from malaria carried by mosquitoes. It is big problem caused by a small creature.

The laser is called weapon of mosquito destruction (WMD). The design was assisted by Lowell Wood, an astrophysicist that worked on the original Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) proposed by Ronal Reagan in 1983. The SDI was also code named “Star Wars.”

The laser detects the audio frequency created by the beating of mosquito wings. A computer detects the audio and triggers the laser to shoot the mosquito’s wings off. The mosquito then plops to the ground and doesn’t make it to their prey. Bill Gates is one of the investors in this project.

This laser could kill billions of mosquitoes every night.

Hell freaking yeah. Once this is launched, I hope they make a hand held device. Read the whole story over at Pulse 2. So awesome.

Mosquito Laser via Reddit