America Must Not Lose the Mosquito-Laser Race

A new “air defense” system announced from Changzhou claims to detect and eliminate deadly threats while they are still in flight. Photon Matrix Lab says its technology identifies a target and fires a blue-violet lightning bolt when a mosquito is detected. In a demonstration video, the insect does not simply drop; it somersaults and tumbles out of view. The device is presented as a solution to frequent mosquito bites that cause multiple skin punctures and large, insomnia-inducing welts. The mosquito-killing laser concept is not described as originating in China. Lowell Wood, an astrophysicist associated with missile-defense work, first proposed the idea in 2006 after a brainstorm involving Nathan Myhrvold.

"The announcement of the new “air defense” system was issued from Changzhou. A company called Photon Matrix Lab claimed to have developed a new technology for identifying and eliminating deadly threats mid-flight. A video on Indiegogo showed potential buyers how it works: After detecting a mosquito, the device fires off what looks like a blue-violet lightning bolt. When struck, the insect does not just fall straight down, no-it is more satisfying than that: Its body somersaults and tumbles out of the frame, bringing its career of vampiric air raids to a sudden end."

"Under normal circumstances, a mosquito lives for just a few weeks, and in that time, its wings will carry it a few miles or so, at most, from the pond or puddle of its birth-but for some reason, I am almost always within range of one. The bugs seem to have a primal knowledge of my whereabouts, and a craving for my blood that goes beyond mere thirst. In a span of minutes, they will perforate my skin 10 times with the dirty needles that protrude from their faces, and each micropuncture will swell up into an insomnia-inducing welt the size of a silver dollar."

"We are a secret society, those of us who attract this torment. When we meet one another at a barbecue, we bond over our shared longing for the mosquito's extinction. On behalf of my fellow victims, I decided to look into this new laser to see whether it might really deliver us from misery. I reached out to Photon Matrix Lab to arrange a call."

"The mosquito-killing laser was not invented in China. It's as American as the Model T or the Colt Revolver. Lowell Wood, an astrophysicist who was the architect of President Ronald Reagan's Star Wars missile-defense system, first proposed the idea in 2006. He'd been invited to a brainstorm convened by Nathan Myhrvold, a polymath inventor. Myhrvold had served as chief technology officer at Microsoft before founding his own company, Intellectual Ventures, and had remained"

Read at The Atlantic