The sterile insect technique (SIT) company will use the funds to develop its sterile insect technique to combat mosquito borne diseases.
The European Commission has awarded Israeli sterile insect technique (SIT) company Senecio Robotics $12 million to combat mosquito borne diseases. Using artificial intelligence (AI), the company has developed a mobile automated mosquito factory for monitoring and control of the disease carrying insects. The $12 million includes equity and grant components.
SIT has been widely proven for many other insects like fruit flies, but mosquitoes pose a more daunting challenge because of their huge numbers. Senecio Robotics has deployed AI to tackle the task.
Senecio Robotics founder and CEO Hanan Lepek said, "The first step in addressing mosquitoes is the understanding of their abundance. To date, mosquitoes caught in traps were counted one by one and classified by experts. Senecio develops an AI-driven solution which automates key parts of the process, enabling interested parties to create a quick and accurate understanding of the local mosquito distribution. The solution also gained interest from agriculture companies interested in monitoring insects impacting agriculture.
He continues, "Next, comes the production of the sterile males, including automated larva feeding, counting and sorting. Within a few days, the larva evolves into pupae before turning into sterile male adult mosquitoes that can be released. Currently, both Senecio automated pupae sorter as well as AI based adult sex separators and packaging are being validated at partner sites within the US."