USF AI mosquito trap could help Florida track dengue outbreak faster
Researchers at the University of South Florida have developed an AI-equipped mosquito trap that identified mosquito species with more than 98% accuracy in laboratory testing and could allow Florida health officials to detect potentially dangerous species the same day, the university and the startup behind the device say.
Digitomy, a startup founded by USF researchers Ryan Carney and Sriram Chellappan, said the system uses two built-in cameras to photograph insects captured on a sticky pad; artificial intelligence then compares those images against a database to identify species, the sex of the mosquito and whether it has recently fed on blood.
Florida is facing its largest dengue outbreak in decades. According to the Florida Department of Health’s weekly surveillance report cited by Fox News, Hillsborough County recorded 407 locally acquired dengue cases in 2026, and across Florida officials reported 524 locally acquired cases through October 31. On November 13, Hillsborough County announced it had extended its state of local emergency through November 19 as mosquito control crews increased aerial and ground treatments.
Digitomy and USF said the trap is designed to shorten traditional mosquito surveillance, which can take two to three days when specialists examine specimens under a microscope. The company said the aim is same-day identification by combining on-trap imaging with AI and cloud computing so control teams can target responses where vectors such as Aedes aegypti appear.
The developers and university note an important limitation: the trap identifies species capable of carrying disease but does not itself confirm that a captured mosquito is infected. Health officials would still need laboratory testing to confirm the presence of dengue virus.
Digitomy has tested the technology at the University of South Florida, worked with the Anastasia Mosquito Control District in St. Johns County and is preparing field validation with Hillsborough County, the company said. The team has integrated trap data into a private layer of a Global Mosquito Observations Dashboard and said that layer also incorporates more than half a million citizen science reports.
The startup is working with USF’s Technology Transfer office to license the AI identification system to established mosquito trap manufacturers and said it is targeting commercial availability through licensing; the university has not announced a consumer launch date or retail price. Digitomy also received a $25,000 grant from the USF Research Foundation’s Bull Ring Accelerator in summer 2026 to help accelerate licensing and commercialization.
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