Volbakhia-Singapore Project
Google will rid Singapore of mosquitoes with AI
Sergey Kolenov, Hi-tech+
Verily, a subsidiary of Google, will use artificial intelligence to combat the spread of viral diseases. The algorithm is used to reduce the populations of their carriers – Aedes mosquitoes. The technique has already been tested in Australia, and now Verily is working on an improved version for Singapore.
One of the most effective approaches to combating diseases such as yellow fever and Zika virus is the impact on their distributors, mosquitoes from the genus Aedes. You can try to reduce their numbers with chemicals or modify insects so that they can no longer carry the virus.
Google is interested in a different approach. As reported by On Tuesday, on the other hand, the corporation announced that its subsidiary Verily will cooperate with the Singapore National Environmental Protection Agency within the framework of the Wolbachia – Singapore project. The aim of the initiative is to conduct field tests of a technique in which mosquitoes are infected with the Wolbachia bacterium and released into nature.
Infected male mosquitoes do not bite and do not spread diseases dangerous to humans. However, if they mate with uninfected females, they will lay unfertilized eggs. By releasing a sufficient number of infected males, it is possible to significantly reduce the population of carriers of dangerous diseases.
To make the work more efficient, Verily has developed a technology that allows you to separate males and females much faster and more accurately than manually. The system is based on artificial intelligence and computer vision.
It has already been successfully applied in the Australian state of Queensland, where about 1 million infected insects have been released. This made it possible to reduce the population of yellow-boredom mosquitoes by 80%.
For Singapore, Verily will expand and improve the algorithm. In addition, the company will introduce a new automatic mosquito release system that will distribute them to the most densely populated areas of Singapore, including high-rise areas. Mosquitoes prefer these places, and experts hope that the new strategy will increase the chances of meeting infected males and females.
Residents of the Australian city of Townsville were able to eradicate dengue fever even without the use of artificial intelligence. As part of the World Mosquito Program, 7,000 local families raised mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia, and then released them. As a result, the bacterium spread through the population and blocked the spread of fever.
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