In much of the world, mosquitoes are considered annoying pests, but the reality is that they are one of the deadliest animals on the planet, killing over 600,000 people a year, a problem this high-tech laser system aims to permanently eliminate. In the image below, you can see the simple but deadly and effective solution in action, a small pulse of light killing the fly.

While nets, drugs and other methods have been deployed to help address the flying menaces and disease carriers, the key is eliminating their ability to approach or contact people in the first place, hence this invention that “works by combining low-cost sensor and laser technology with software to identify, track, and kill mosquitoes, thus eliminating malaria’s primary transmission vector.”

Though the primary purpose for Intellectual Ventures developing these photonic fences is one particular pest, the applications of the technology have a great deal of potential beyond that application.

For instance, the same systems could be deployed to kill pests on farms, an environmentally-friendly and lower-cost alternative to chemical pesticides. “Global Good and LSG are currently developing field-ready photonic fence prototypes to test new, efficient, and effective pest control products for health, commercial, and residential use around the world.”