Startup Is Offering $1K Laser to Zap Mosquitoes

It looks like the bug-zapper of the future has arrived. Chinese startup Photon Matrix has begun marketing a $1,000 countertop "Laser Mosquito Air Defense System" that tracks mosquitoes midflight, then blasts them with a short laser burst, reports the New York Times. It's actually an American invention, notes Ross Anderson at the Atlantic. A former Microsoft exec came up with the concept 20 years ago after Bill Gates asked him to investigate tools that could help curb malaria, he writes. But it's only now coming to fruition. Photon Matrix insists it's safe, with AI-powered tech deciding when it's OK to fire, and safety tools that recognize humans and pets, as well as insects such as butterflies that don't need zapping. (See a company video.)

Still, its laser could cause damage to human eyes, and buyers must pass a safety quiz and register a fingerprint to activate it. Keith Bradsher of the Times notes that the laser does not appear to kill the bugs quickly:

• "For anyone who has ever wished mosquitoes a horrible death, this is a strikingly high-tech way to make that wish a reality. The laser delivers a gruesome end, though not a quick one. Mosquitoes whose wings have burned off can take hours or even days to die, lying on the ground and twitching slightly ... "