Briefings

Outsmarting an Outbreak

Drone-deployed robotic traps zero in on mosquitoes.

By Alexander Gelfand • Illustration by Dung Hoang

Thanks to entomologist Douglas Norris and his team, scientists may soon be able to predict potential outbreaks of mosquito-borne illnesses like Zika and dengue—and to quash new ones before they have a chance to spread.

In collaboration with and with support from Microsoft’s Project Premonition, Norris, PhD, MS, a professor in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, is helping to build smart mosquito traps that can be deployed by airborne drones. The traps’ sensors identify the mosquitoes and record environmental data, and the insects are later scanned for pathogens using sophisticated genomic tools.

Norris and his team have successfully field-tested the trap prototypes in Texas and Florida. The goal is to provide the data they collect to vector-control specialists, who can then prevent disease-carrying mosquitoes from delivering their deadly cargo. That, says Norris, would be a “game-changer” for public health.

Capture & Delivery in 5 Steps

A mosquito enters one of 64 individual cells, lured by attractants such as carbon dioxide or light.

A tiny door slams shut, trapping the insect inside. An infrared sensor detects the mosquito’s wingbeat frequency, revealing its species. Other sensors record data such as temperature and humidity that shed light on the animal’s habits and behavior.

The trap’s sensors continue to record environmental information, making it an ideal ecological surveillance tool. The data it captures could be used to detect invasive species and track climate change.

Automated drones will retrieve the traps they had dropped in hard-to-reach locations. Other researchers are developing software to make them crash-proof—a crucial feature for navigating environments ranging from swamp to savannah.

The mosquitoes are delivered to a lab for genomic analysis, which can identify hosts they fed on and the pathogens they harbor. Using data collected from a pilot project in Grenada, Norris and his team have already discovered three new viruses.