A multidisciplinary research team based across China and Brazil has used a dog-like robot and AI to create a new way to find fire ant nests.

Fire ant nests are difficult for untrained personnel to identify and confirm in the field, and searching large areas can be time-consuming and exhausting under the hot sun. A robot could automatically locate the nests without requiring specially trained individuals and operate at various times of the day regardless of temperature conditions.

RIFA is one of the most destructive pests worldwide. Accidentally introduced to the United States in the 1930s, they have since spread as an invasive organism across numerous areas including China, Japan and Europe, causing extensive environmental damage and economic losses.

Conventional approaches to controlling RIFA populations involve the use of pesticides, at the risk of harming local ecosystems. To implement effective and targeted RIFA control strategies which minimize the harm to native species, extensive monitoring of populations is essential.