🧀 BigCheese.ai

Social

A.I.-Powered Trap That Zaps Invasive Lanternflies

🧀

18-year-old Selina Zhang created ArTreeficial, an eco-friendly AI-powered trap designed to lure and eliminate invasive spotted lanternflies using solar power and machine learning. Inspired by a personal encounter with the pest, Zhang's synthetic tree-like device emits scents and utilizes a specialized electric net to safely and selectively target the species without harming other wildlife, representing a significant innovation in pest control.

  • Selina Zhang is an 18-year-old high schooler from New Jersey.
  • Spotted lanternflies ravaged local agriculture in the Garden State.
  • ArTreeficial uses the scent of 'tree of heaven' as bait for the lanternflies.
  • The trap operates solar-powered and has self-cleaning mechanisms.
  • Zhang's invention is recognized as a finalist in the Regeneron Science Talent Search.