This Solar-Powered Device Kills Mosquito Larvae to Prevent the Spread of Disease

Mosquitoes aren’t just a nuisance; they’re one of the biggest dangers to humanity. Infected mosquitoes can spread the West Nile virus, Zika virus, dengue, Chikungunya virus, and, of course, malaria. In 2016, 445,000 people died worldwide from malaria alone, and malaria is transmitted nearly exclusively by mosquitoes. According to the CDC, “the mosquito kills more people than any other creature in the world.” The solution is to reduce the number of mosquitoes in the wild, but traditional means of eradicating them are problematic. That’s why this solar-powered device kills mosquito larvae using otherwise harmless water ripples.

You’ve probably noticed that mosquitoes are most numerous in warm, humid areas that are near stagnant water, such as still ponds or swamps. The specifics vary from one mosquito species to another, but that stagnant water is vital to the life cycle of most species. Female mosquitoes will lay their eggs on the surface of the water, which will soon hatch. When the larvae hatch, they will then remain in the water for a short period of time before becoming pupa and eventually adults. The larvae require stagnant water in order to reach and feed on microorganisms and breathe air at the surface. If the water had a current or wash choppy, the larvae would either suffocate or starve before they can become adults and spread disease.

The Solar Scare Mosquito 2.0, created by Pranav Agarwal, artificially disturbs the surface of otherwise stagnant water in order to ensure that the larvae die off before reaching maturity. The device receives power from a small 3W solar panel. It’s controlled by an Arduino MKR GSM 1400 board. The electronics are housed within a 3D-printed enclosure. It is specifically programmed to keep the water still during dawn and dusk so that mosquitoes will lay their eggs, and then it will create small ripples in the water the rest of the time in order to kill the larvae. This programming keeps the mosquitoes from simply finding a different location to lay their eggs.

These capabilities were all present in the original version of the device, but version 2.0 adds some important sensors. Those are a water level sensor and a LM393 sound sensor. The latter is essentially a microphone, and can be used to listen to the sounds the mosquitoes make as they fly near the device. Though sounds can be used to identify the species of mosquito, which would be very valuable information in the fight against mosquito-borne disease. Mosquitoes do serve a purpose, namely pollination and as food for other animals, but it’s probably safe to say that reducing their number would be a net benefit for humanity. The Solar Scare Mosquito 2.0 device could be an important weapon in that fight.