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Automatic Moth Defenestrator

Safe and convenient
  (+46, -3)(+46, -3)(+46, -3)
(+46, -3)
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against]

As moths tend to fly towards light sources, they can be an annoyance at night, when they fly around light-bulbs - particularly when windows must be left open because of high temperatures.

The same effect could be used to guide them out of your house. A array of light detector:white LED pairs is arranged such that each detector picks up light from the previous LED.
Only one LED is on at a time. In the initial, 'fishing' state, the first LED in the chain is on. When a moth is detected (between this LED and the next detector), this is turned off and the next LED is turned on. This process is repeated along the chain which goes out the window and round a corner. The last light then turns off and the moth (which then can't see the light from your house) flies away.
If, while the moth is being led away it gets distracted and so doesn't reach the next trigger point, the system is arranged to regress to the previous state. This process repeats back to the initial state unless the moth is re-accquired.

Loris, Jan 25 2006

The old skool Multiply moth defenestrater http://spizzer.mult...com/journal/item/18
Third paragraph down [spiritualized, Jan 26 2006]

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       Excellent! It should open and close the window automatically to let the moth out too, as leaving the window open may compound the problem.
Shz, Jan 25 2006
  

       love the title, enjoyed the idea.
po, Jan 25 2006
  

       Brilliant. Nicely written and thought out.
Useful too. [+]
coprocephalous, Jan 25 2006
  

       Well composed. Succinct. Understandable. Easy to dance to. I give it a +.
half, Jan 25 2006
  

       Cats eyes/moth eyes.
skinflaps, Jan 25 2006
  

       Super. I'd love to see it in action. Might even have the last led inside a humane insect trap (funnel,container). Catch and release? Sounds fairly inexpensive to rig up also.
nth, Jan 25 2006
  

       Weapons of Moth Defenestration? +
yamahito, Jan 25 2006
  

       this breaks down if there's more than one moth around (first moth flies between LEDs 1 and 2 while second flies between LEDs 2 and 3, etc).   

       bun anyway because cool.
bumhat, Jan 26 2006
  

       This would distract the heck out of me as a human.   

       I usually absorb the moths flight path & tendencies with the knowledge that at the appropriate time I will fire out my arm & entrap them in my hand without damage. I release them out the door as quickly as posible.
Zimmy, Jan 26 2006
  

       Perhaps they needn't be within the [human] visible spectrum.   

       Be good if there is a streetlight as a target to draw the moths away from the house.
bristolz, Jan 26 2006
  

       A version of this which works for mosquitos would be good. I seem to remember that mosquitos detect their prey by sensing raised humidity so an analogous system would have to set up a humidity gradient leading out the window...
hippo, Jan 26 2006
  

       I feel that bug zappers are much easier, and a hell of a lot more fun to watch. "BZZZZZT!!! That was a bigg'un, pa!"   

       Still, awesome idea. [+]   

       Vegas lights on your porch.
Cuit_au_Four, Jan 26 2006
  

       mmmmm... seems the autoboner has visited.   

       Perhaps he/she immediately saw the anagram "A trim tutor to a shamefaced teen" in your title, and was offended by your attempts to sneak sex into a discussion about integrated pest control.   

       Or perhaps he/she read the idea seeking guidance on the pressing issue of how to get those annoying windows out of moths...and was disappointed.
ConsulFlaminicus, Jan 26 2006
  

       I like the intent of the idea but wouldn't the moths still be more attracted to the lightbulb, being the brighter light source, than the the LEDs?

Besides, I think my method of dressing up like a giant lady moth and luring them out the door with a promise of 'a good time outside' is far superior.
DrBob, Jan 26 2006
  

       Well, I would have suggested an Amphibarrier myself, but that might have been seen as shameless self-promotion... :)
ConsulFlaminicus, Jan 26 2006
  

       //would moth pheromones be a better way to do this?//   

       Nice image of moths following the 'mexican wave' of pheromones emitted by microscopic puffs along a hose.   

       Don't get any on you.
yamahito, Jan 26 2006
  

       [Consul], do you routinely feed idea titles into an anagram algorithm or do you have the ability to juggle lots of letters in your head?   

       I don't feel I need to add anything about how cool this idea is.
wagster, Jan 26 2006
  

       I came up with the same idea quite a while ago (check link), but kudos for thinking it up again. +
spiritualized, Jan 26 2006
  

       Brilliant idea, have a yummy bun. This shouldn't be too hard to set up if it had a larger first scanner, so that it would realise if there was more than one moth to be defenestration.   

       sp. defenestrator. Unless it is a clever joke which I didn't get.
dbmag9, Jan 26 2006
  

       Great idea and all, but surely moths are attracted to warmth as well?
Mr Phase, Jan 26 2006
  

       Bunning the idea, churning for use of "defenestrater". I think I'd spell it "defenestrator" if it refers to a person, not a machine.   

       (I listed defenestrator as my ideal job, once, in a family reunion guess-the-person game. My sister knew it was me, at once.)
baconbrain, Jul 31 2008
  

       [admin: agree with -or spelling. Fixed in title.]
jutta, Aug 01 2008
  

       I guess I defer to jutta, even though this is obviously a machine rather than a person, so baconbrain's argument is dubious.
Loris, May 06 2009
  

       (marked-for-tagline)   

       "Weapons of Moth Defenestration"
normzone, May 06 2009
  


 

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