A fully automated machine could make chemical-free mosquito control widely available, reducing the potential spread of deadly diseases.
As reported by Interesting Engineering, researchers developed a robotic device that can accurately identify and sort male and female pupae into separate groups. This process is currently possible, but it takes a considerable amount of time-consuming human labor.
This development, detailed in the journal Science Robotics, is significant because it could allow scientists to release millions of male mosquitoes that cannot successfully breed with the females into the wild, preventing more pupae from forming and overrunning communities.
"The upscale of the use of these techniques is going to have very positive environmental impacts, since mosquito control is currently mainly based on the use of pesticides," Jérémy Bouyer, one of the study's authors, told Interesting Engineering. "Moreover, the targeted mosquito species are invasive species, and their control will reestablish ecosystem integrity."
While mosquitoes are tiny, their ability to harm public health is unmatched in the animal world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the flying insects are the deadliest creatures around, spreading diseases such as malaria, dengue, Zika, and West Nile.
As global temperatures have risen because of human activities — mainly the burning of dirty fuels — invasive species have become a growing problem. It has left researchers looking for solutions, from new technologies to encouraging the consumption of edible invaders.
As for the mosquitoes, they have begun spreading to new areas that were previously uninhabitable for them.
Vaccines have rolled out for some of these diseases, but it is also important to control mosquito populations. Warmer weather has made it easier for them to reproduce, too.
As Bouyer noted, generally, the way to do that on a large scale involves spraying chemicals that are toxic not only to the mosquitoes but to humans as well.
As the National Wildlife Federation explains, the chemicals can also have the unintended side effect of harming beneficial insects, including butterflies and bees. The decline of these creatures threatens global food security, as 35% of our crops depend on pollinators.
Now, thanks to the automated innovation, researchers believe that they can produce as many as 16 million male mosquitoes every week, with one person able to operate more than one device at a time.
France, Italy, Mexico, and the United States are among the countries that have already purchased the mosquito sorter, according to Bouyer, who added that the quality of the specimens also ultimately results in money saved on operations.
"Our mosquito sorter is currently the fastest system leading to huge savings in terms of human workload," Bouyer told Interesting Engineering. "Moreover, the sorting system is based on the use of glasses which minimizes the friction to which the pupae are subjected, thus producing high-quality sterile males."
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