Danny Weber
A 40-gram drone struck a moth in mid-air, while Tornyol is developing the system to detect and intercept mosquitoes near homes.
Tornyol Systems showed the first confirmed destruction of an insect in flight using its autonomous microdrone. In the published video, the roughly 40 g aircraft knocks a moth out of the air, although mosquitoes remain the project's main target. Tornyol calls the test an important step toward a system that could significantly reduce mosquito populations around people's homes. The project is intended to support the fight against insect-borne diseases, including malaria and West Nile virus.
For target detection, the developers use the LeSonar2 ground station with a phased sonar array. It includes 380 smartphone-grade microphones and an Artix-7 FPGA, allowing the system to build a three-dimensional map of the surrounding space. The system is designed to detect insects and guide the drone to intercept them at distances of up to 8 m.
The first version of the concept was presented at Hackaday Supercon 2024 as a mosquito detection and elimination system built from affordable electronics. Since then, the design has been significantly reduced in size and refined. Data processing and control still rely on an external computer, but Tornyol is preparing to move the computing onto embedded hardware so the system will eventually no longer need a separate PC.
In the US, the company previously offered a refundable $100 deposit for the drone and base station. After launch, buyers were promised either a $50 monthly subscription or a one-time payment of $1,100 for the complete kit.
© Tornyol Systems