Listening to termites chew through timber

Listening to termites chew through timber

Friday 17 Feb 2012

According to Associate Professor Adam Osseiran of Western Australia's Edith Cowan University, the yearly damage bill in the U.S. for termite damage tops US$12 billion, while in Australia they cause an estimated $1 to $3 billion damage each year.

In an attempt to reduce such damage, Osseiran and his team have developed an acoustic sensor that is so sensitive it can detect termite infestation by "hearing" them chew through timber.

The device, called WiSPr consists of a tiny sensor much smaller than a fingernail that is attached to wood around a house or retro-fitted to existing termite stations. It continually listens for the acoustic signature of termites and, once it detects their presence, it can immediately send an SMS or email to a pest control company with the termites' GPS location.

For full details on the story and link to the study, check out the latest R&D Works Newsletter

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