Engineer and computer-vision hobbyist Steven Cheng has built an AI-guided laser "cannon" that detects and roasts mosquitoes inside his home, a do-it-yourself system he says wiped out every mosquito in his residence in a single night.
Cheng, a robotics specialist, spent about four months developing what he calls the "ultimate mosquito killer," combining computer vision, deep learning and a motorized laser platform to automatically hunt mosquitoes.
He first shared details and video clips of the prototype on social media, where the unusual home-defense rig quickly drew attention for its aggressive approach to pest control, according to Slash Gear.
AI-Guided Laser 'Cannon' Targets Mosquitoes
To teach the system to recognize mosquitoes, Cheng used a DSLR camera with a high‑magnification zoom lens to capture a large dataset of the insects in flight. He then trained a custom deep-learning detector so the software could distinguish mosquitoes from other small objects and lock onto them in real time.
The finished prototype links that detector to what Cheng described as an artillery-style laser "cannon" mounted on a motion platform.
Once the AI confirms a mosquito target in the camera feed, the hardware automatically aims and fires the laser, and the beam "instantly" roasted the insects mid‑air or on nearby surfaces, Lets Data Science reported.
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Cheng's system uses at least two cameras: one to detect and track the mosquitoes and a second wide-angle camera to monitor the broader scene for safety.
According to his description, the laser power shuts off if the safety camera detects a person, pet or flammable material in the beam's potential path, a safeguard intended to keep the experimental rig from causing accidental harm inside his home.
After running the setup overnight, Cheng said that the AI-guided cannon eliminated all mosquitoes detected in his residence, though the project remains a one-off DIY build rather than a commercial product.
Potential Commercial Use
The system is reportedly still an early prototype and Cheng has not announced any pricing or plans for mass production.
The home-built cannon arrives as companies experiment with similar AI and laser-based mosquito defenses, such as the Photon Matrix, a crowdfunded LiDAR-guided device from China that tracks and zaps mosquitoes in a 3 to 6‑meter radius.
Those commercial systems are marketed as portable "air defense" units for patios or campsites and claim to kill up to 30 mosquitoes per second while using safety controls to avoid injuring people or pets, as per News Atlas.
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