UAV-based Delivery of Solid Insecticide

Invention Summary:

Mosquito borne diseases constitute more than half a billion illnesses and over a million deaths yearly. Wide-scale mosquito pesticide and larvicide dispersion (e.g., aerial dispersion) is no longer a viable option due to 1) posing public health concerns, and 2) urban area expansion into mosquito habitats, making mosquito control untenable. Hence, targeted delivery of mosquito control payloads to inaccessible areas should be used to avoid environmental contamination and adverse human effects.

Rutgers researchers have developed a new mechanism for the targeted delivery of solid mosquito larvicides via unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This mechanism is mounted to commercial UAV platforms and can be triggered to dispense individual briquettes manually via remote control or automatically via GPS coordinate activation. The technology can be used to deliver other small payloads of interest.

Market Applications:

• Agriculture
• Insecticide / Pesticide Industry
• Autonomous UAV-based delivery of small solid objects

Advantages:

• Targeted delivery to inaccessible areas
• Minimal collateral contamination
• Adapted to UAV platforms
• Automated payload delivery to target area(s) using autonomous UAV platforms

Intellectual Property & Development Status:

Patent pending. Available for licensing and/or research collaboration.