A Different Kind of Bug Lamp: Lighting Science and Global Good to develop light-based pesticide alternatives

Lighting Science Group, Melbourne, Fla., and Intellectual Ventures’ Global Good, Bellevue, Wash., announced a research agreement to collaborate on the development of next-generation light technologies for pest control.

Based on Global Good’s photonic fence invention and Lighting Science’s light-control technology, the joint development effort will focus on field-ready prototypes that offer an environmentally-responsible alternative to chemical pesticides.

Lighting Science plans to leverage this development effort to create a new company to bring highly efficient and effective pest control products for health, commercial and residential use around the world.

Global Good’s photonic fence device, developed initially to address the spread of malaria in developing countries, combines low-cost sensors and laser technology with software to identify, track, and eliminate insects. It also presents significant applications for agriculture.

Under the research agreement, Global Good will license its photonic fence technology to Lighting Science to manage product development in both vector control for malaria and derivative inventions in agricultural systems, with a goal to commercialize for developing and developed world markets.