Voltree Acoustic Early Detection Sensor System

SUMMARY: Voltree Acoustic Early Detection Sensor System harvests power from a living tree to convert its chemical activity into small amounts of electric current and to ‘read’ its levels of dehydration, disease, fire risk, even potential seismic activity and CO2 levels, anticipating emerging challenges in agriculture and forestry in order to prevent such things as insect infestations and fire.

PROBLEM SPACE: Many species of insects that threaten valuable plant species are hard to detect in the early stages of infestation. Some of these species have a severe impact on the ecological balance of sensitive areas and also on the agricultural resources of many areas of the world. Some examples are the Asian Long Horned Beetle, the Red Palm Beetle, the Australian Cane Grub and the Southern Green Stink Bug. These types of infestations may become more severe as a result of global warming as their habitation regions change. There is a need to provide early detection of these pests that can be used in the United States and large areas of the developing world. Detection of an infestation in the early stages will allow the use of an environmentally safe remediation approach instead of massive use of environmentally dangerous chemical pesticides.

SOLUTION: We propose a system that will provide early detection of insect pests that threaten valuable crops and tree species. Insects of interest include the Asian Long Horned Beetle and the Red Palm Beetle. The system allows early detection using the sounds of the larvae while they are feeding on plants.