(Image: Kobiz Media)
SEOUL, Aug. 31 (Korea Bizwire) — The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on Wednesday unveiled an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered system designed to identify mosquitoes that carry infectious diseases.
The AI-based Automatic Mosquito Classification Monitoring System (AI-DMS) is scheduled for a pilot launch in selected local administrations beginning next month.
It utilizes specialized equipment to capture mosquitoes by attracting them with carbon dioxide.
Subsequently, the captured mosquitoes are photographed, and these images are subjected to thorough analysis using advanced AI algorithms.
The outcome of this analysis is the identification of mosquitoes harboring infectious diseases.
Notably, the collaborative effort behind this advancement involves the KDCA, Chungnam National University, and E-TND, which specializes in pest control equipment research and development.
Traditionally, surveillance of mosquito outbreaks demanded the manual collection of mosquitoes through trapping, followed by visual sorting using the naked eye or microscopes.
This conventional approach often extended over several days, causing delays in response time.
However, the new AI-equipped system introduces a transformative change. The team can now swiftly detect and distinguish various mosquito species responsible for outbreaks, categorized by collection site and month.
Remarkably, the AI-DMS demonstrated remarkable accuracy in recognizing disease-bearing mosquitoes.
For instance, Anopheles mosquitoes responsible for malaria transmission, the Culex tritaeniorhynchus species linked to Japanese encephalitis, and the Asian tiger mosquito — a vector for dengue fever — yielded an impressive classification accuracy of 94.7 percent.
As machine learning continuously enhances AI’s analytical capabilities, this accuracy is anticipated to improve.
“This marks the world’s inaugural deployment of an AI-driven mosquito classification device in a real-world context,” the KDCA said.
“Anticipated outcomes encompass efficient and ecologically friendly control measures, achieved by rapid responses to mosquito outbreaks and a reduction in the inappropriate use of pesticides.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
