Mosquito detector from 2km away
Chinese researchers are developing a radar that can detect the flapping of a mosquito's wings at a range of up to 2km.
This super-sensitive radar has defense technology applications, which the Chinese government has developed for missile defense systems.
According to the theory from the research team, this radar will emit pulses of electromagnetic waves at many frequencies. When the radar waves hit a mosquito, they will bounce back carrying a lot of information such as the mosquito's species, its gender, its flight speed and direction, and even know whether this mosquito wants to suck blood.
Detecting mosquitoes from afar will help people take timely protective measures against pathogens - (Photo: Reuters).
According to the South China Morning Post, a research model of this device is being tested at a defense laboratory, belonging to the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT).
"Identifying and tracking objects and targets the size of a mosquito is no longer science fiction. We are actually getting quite close to taking this technology out of the lab and using it to save lives,"said an anonymous researcher.
Carrying dangerous pathogens, mosquitoes are the insects that spread disaster, taking more human lives than all wars combined.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mosquito bites kill more than 1 million people each year. The insects also play a role in transmitting a range of disease-causing microorganisms, from malaria to newer viruses like Zika.
Controlling mosquitoes is a huge challenge because they can come close to humans and then fly away without leaving a trace. Even if a mosquito buzzing sound is heard, it must be very close to the human ear.
The mosquito detector research team was funded with 82 million yuan (nearly 13 million USD) by the central government to complete this anti-mosquito radar.
After decades of development, modern military radars can now pick up the sounds of small objects at impressive distances. For example, the US Missile Defense Agency’s sea-based radar can detect an object the size of a baseball from a distance of up to 4,000 km.
China is similarly developing such advanced systems to detect missiles and stealth aircraft. However, unlike the US, scientists working on military projects believe the technology could also be used to combat mosquitoes, and have convinced the government to fund their research.