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FrozenGate by Avery

Fly Swatter

J

Jeffwiz

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Sep 10, 2014
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Please take this seriously.
I am a 61 yrold retired Industrial Engineer and I have destroyed my lungs digging subway tunnels in China (1990-1995). This bed I am in is my prison now and when a flying insect gets in the room it can drive me nuts, not being able to chase it dow with the traditional anti-fly weaponry.
I think that an upgrade to 21st century technology is viable in the form of a high enough powered laser. There are three basic areas of degrading a fly's avenue of attack would be; sensor overload (blinding), structural flight mechanics (burn the wings off), outright overall destruction of biological processes (toasting)

I would appericiate feedback on; general concept, specific electronics (I can do the fabrication in bed)

Very sinserly yours

Jeffery
 





You're looking for this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGkPMZxWPpA (How to embed videos? The youtube tags don't work, neither does YT-embed code?)
It's in Dutch, but just bear with it ;)

Also reminds me of my professor who got a couple of undergrads to work on a system to locate mosquitos in 3D-space based on multi-microphone detection :D

Oh, well, more serious.
Can it be done? Sure. The watt-level lasers shouldn't have a problem with the insects. Aiming at a sitting insect should be possible too, but hitting them in-flight is more about luck than skill, I think.

There's of course the safety aspect: I guess laser goggles would be a good thing if the mosquito lands on your mirror or something reflective. You have to be sure noone comes in.

I'll leave the details for others, they have better knowledge. Tbh, I mainly wanted to post the video, but figured I should add at least some information as well.
Good luck!
 
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Like Svenvbins said, it's more about luck of hitting them while they wait around while their wings burn off. A laser wouldn't be a good idea I feel. A laser of that power you would need safety glasses on every time you use it or your vision will be the next thing to go. I know there are candles and other devices that some bugs don't enjoy and will drive them away, but not sure if you'd be interested in that.
 
I have tried burning flies from approx 1 or 2 metres with a 1.5W 445nm laser and many of them would take off as soon as the light hit them, I got a couple sometimes but it was a bit hard, I think a 1W 405nm or a 3W 445nm might zap them fast enough before there reflexs kick in, ill have a try if any get in my way at hme with my 3W 445nm and 1W 405nm
 
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You are going to want the most powerful single mode diode to get the most concentrated power dot, for fastest burning. That would currently be a BDR-209 405nm blue ray diode AFAIK.
 
A laser point defense system would be really cool lol.

Grab some sensors, set em up, program a bit so that the laser track then rejoice as everybug is tracked down with pinpoint accuracy and is burned. :evil:
 
Taking this in an opposite direction (and to be clear, this is a horrible approach that I am not actually suggesting), I wonder what would happen if a 100W IR laser diode bar's output was focused into a thin line (which isn't hard)? Would that create, in effect, a wall that the fly couldn't pass through undamaged? Or would the power density be so low, and the fly so fast, that it could make it through?
 
This is tricky thing and it is actually possible.

Problem is with amount of energy needed to kill the fly. One question is if you really want to kill it? If it stays without wings you would also be happy.. I think.

Together with friends we created a company, Tomorrows Systems here in Poland :) We are working on very similar project.

The diodes available on the market are a bit too weak to scan the area and kill a fly. It is possible to use camera vision system, but it is very expensive.
We made also some calculation for pulsed Osram diodes, but energy in even 5 pulses is too weak.

Best way is to use blue/violet laser. If you get lucky, even without additional focusing you are able to damage the wings of a fly. This is why you even don't need really small beam spot, the one similar to the fly size is also working quite well.

Secon problem is detection :)
 
rhd said:
Taking this in an opposite direction (and to be clear, this is a horrible approach that I am not actually suggesting), I wonder what would happen if a 100W IR laser diode bar's output was focused into a thin line (which isn't hard)? Would that create, in effect, a wall that the fly couldn't pass through undamaged? Or would the power density be so low, and the fly so fast, that it could make it through?
Click to expand...

Depands on the line length, but 100W is not enough for window barrier for example. Fly's speed can reach 6m/s. Taking 6mm as lengtth of a fly, you have a time in which it is exposed to the IR. It is around 0,001 s. If you spread 100W beam into 0,5meter stripe you have power density 100/500 = 0,2W/mm

If fly is 5mm wide it can take around 1W of power, standing in a beam. But it is only 0,001s. So it means that it will take 1mJ of power. So it will just put sunglasses and fly trough your wall ;)

Fly's speed taken from Internet ;P
 
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I my fly lasering experience, lasering flies isn't very practical unless they are stuck between the window panes and even then it's not easy from only a foot away.

But If I was in your position, I would try one of these Bug-A-Salt: The Original Salt Gun, I wonder if the spread can be tightened with a barrel choke, could be fun.
 
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TheDukeAnumber1 said:
I my fly lasering experience, lasering flies isn't very practical unless they are stuck between the window panes and even then it's not easy from only a foot away.

But If I was in your position, I would try one of these Bug-A-Salt: The Original Salt Gun, I wonder if the spread can be tightened with a barrel choke, could be fun.
Click to expand...

I own one of those bug-a-salt's, its not nearly as effective as the videos show. I would go as far as to say the demo video's are completely fake. Even at 1-2 feet it takes 4-6 hits to bring down an average fly. And that's with sea salt that's larger than table salt, with fine ground table salt the thing is literally useless.
 
I get a few flies here and there that come in from the cracks where the AC is situated. Best thing I got going for me is my bug zapper. They all eventually go to it, especially when it's the only light on at night.
One thing to note however is the large flies tend to burn alive for a few seconds or so. But I'm talking about the gargantuan ones :p
 
BB guns/airsoft will work as well and are fun to shoot bugs with. A nerf gun also works
 
Rifter said:
I own one of those bug-a-salt's, its not nearly as effective as the videos show. I would go as far as to say the demo video's are completely fake. Even at 1-2 feet it takes 4-6 hits to bring down an average fly. And that's with sea salt that's larger than table salt, with fine ground table salt the thing is literally useless.
Click to expand...

That's disappointing, it looked promising.

BB guns/airsoft will work as well and are fun to shoot bugs with. A nerf gun also works
Click to expand...

I can back this up, when I lived in dorms airsoft was pretty effective and fun.
 
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