It's a phrase that's been bandied about for 30 years now - the Star Wars missile defense system, or, the Strategic Defense Initiative, to the more serious - meant to shoot down missiles in space incoming from the Soviet Union even before they get anywhere near America. But there is a much more useful, and lifesaving possibility that Star Wars technology brings: mosquito control. The same scientists that were involved in the Strategic Missile Defense Initiative, are the ones involved in it this time around too.
Youve seen documentaries that show clouds of mosquitoes and locusts swarming over African villages, eating people alive, reducing miles of standing crop to dry dust. What if, a laser homing device could be mounted on a high mast around an African village, and it could, with an ultrasensitive motion detector, sense exactly where in the open before it there were tiny mosquito sized floating bodies. And then, what if a laser could zoom in to zap the mosquito into oblivion? Youve seen how lasers work in dance clubs, havent you? They move so fast kind of like the weapons in the Star Wars and Terminator movies. At that rate, they could zap a hundred mosquitoes or a hundred locusts a second, couldnt they? Actually, they certainly could. And they have demonstrated mosquito control this way too.
Scientists have been going after mosquito control techniques every which way they can think of, high-tech and low-tech. Theyve tried poisoned blood, microwaves, repulsive smells, flypaper, you name it. They have even been trying to engineer bacteria and viruses that will attack mosquitoes. But this Star Wars mosquito control technique, the brainchild of Lowell Wood, a student of Edward Teller, the father of the original Strategic Defense Initiative, has raised hopes like nothing else. His invention was discovered by a Bill Gates philanthropy initiative, that is engaged in finding ways to eradicate malaria in Africa. Its already been demonstrated, built out of parts the scientists found on eBay; they just need to find a practical way to make it now. How powerful should it be to hurt mosquitoes but not people? How should it be deployed? Would a low-flying drone shooting lasers from the sky be a good idea? How do you make sure that it doesnt hit the good insects, like butterflies?
In the demonstration, they put a tracking device laser in a large glass box, and left a couple of mosquitoes in it. A flashlight lights up the mosquito, the sensor sees it, and suddenly, the insect bursts into flame. The system is so accurate, that it can make sure it targets just the females, and not the males. It can tell the difference. The hand-held flashlight-shaped version, can cost as little as $50 one day. The system could end up eradicating malaria around the world in as little as a week. These certainly are exciting times to live in.