The Csiro Innovation Fund has invested $890,000 in RapidAim, co-founded by three Csiro researchers, to support a trial of a fruit fly monitoring system.
RapidAim, an Australia-based insect monitoring platform spun out of Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (Csiro), has raised A$1.25m ($890,000) in funding from the Csiro Innovation Fund.
The fund is managed by Main Sequence Ventures and invests in spinouts of the research institute and several local universities.
RapidAim has developed smart traps that lure in both female and male fruit flies. Sensors are able to detect the characteristic movements of the flies and alert farmers through a mobile notification when insects have been captured.
The technology saves farmers time while also reducing the need for pesticides. The funding will go towards a trial across the states of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.
Shellhorn, co-founder and chief executive of RapidAim, said: “Our new technology can reduce the time spent checking traps by more than 35%, and provides an immediate picture of fruit fly presence in specific locations to enable a rapid response for control.
“Around the world, more than 900 million tonnes of insecticide is used to control insect pests every year, but 98 percent reaches a target other than the intended destination.”
