Viral video shows ‘radar air defense system’ claimed to shoot mosquitos with lasers
By Ryan General
December 12, 2023
An online video showcasing a purported high-tech “anti-mosquito air defense system” has gone viral in China.
Military-grade mosquito repellant: The viral video, shared on Weibo and other platforms, reveals what appears to be a miniature anti-missile defense system designed to combat mosquitoes. The device is equipped with what appears to be a radar system that supposedly detects mosquitoes in its vicinity and deploys a laser to eliminate the pests.
The mosquito death note: According to the video description, the engineer behind the system allegedly modified an electric car’s radar to detect the mosquitos and a powerful laser pointer to shoot them down. He even has a notebook he calls a “death note” to collect hundreds of mosquitoes claimed to be eradicated by the laser.
Support and skepticism: On Weibo, commenters expressed interest in purchasing a similar device, while others highlighted concerns about the device’s safety and its potential harm to humans. Some viewers questioned the validity of the device, emphasizing the difficulty of achieving precise mosquito targeting with such a device.
The same clip reuploaded on Twitter earned a warning label pointing out that the sensor resolution may not be sufficient for mosquito detection.
“The resolution of the sensors is not sufficient to detect mosquitoes,” the note reads. “The video gives the impression that the mosquitoes can be tracked with the ultrasonic sensor used and killed with the laser, but this is not the case. No evidence whatsoever is shown.”
Real-world projects: A project on Github by user Ildaron aims to create a similar mosquito-tracking laser using neural learning algorithms. Lidaron’s device utilizes a Raspberry Pi and Jetson Nano to be able to identify mosquitoes and then activate a laser to neutralize the insects.
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