A microactuator device to mimic ant vibrations for termite deterrence on life plants

Oberst, S; Tofigh, F; Lai, J; Evans, T

A microactuator device to mimic ant vibrations for termite deterrence on life plants

Oberst, S

Tofigh, F

Lai, J Evans, T

Permalink

Publication Type:: Conference Proceeding
Citation:: Proceedings of Acoustics 2024: Acoustics in the Sun, 2024
Issue Date:: 2024-01-01

Open Access

Copyright Clearance Process

Recently Added
In Progress
Open Access

This item is open access.

Adobe PDF

Download Published versionAdobe PDF (2.09 MB)

View statistics

Full metadata record

Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Oberst, S https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1388-2749
dc.contributor.author	Tofigh, F https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1802-488X
dc.contributor.author	Lai, J
dc.contributor.author	Evans, T
dc.date.accessioned	2025-05-17T03:29:11Z
dc.date.available	2025-05-17T03:29:11Z
dc.date.issued	2024-01-01
dc.identifier.citation	Proceedings of Acoustics 2024: Acoustics in the Sun, 2024
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/187373
dc.description.abstract	Termites cause over US$40 billion in damages and repairs worldwide annually in wooden infrastructure, and agriculture. Traditional termite control treatments rely on toxic chemicals like Fibronil, which are harmful to the environment (plants, pollinators, water contamination) and humans (chronic diseases, carcinogenic). To address this, a non-chemical, vibration-based repellent system (MiAC-S) is developed to leverage their vibration-based communication for eusocial behaviour. MiAC-S, built using an STM32 microcontroller and piezoelectric actuators, simulates the biomechanical model of a walking ant updated with experiments. It was tested in food-choice bioassays using Giant Northern termites on Mango and dwarf Macadamia saplings in a greenhouse and environmental chamber setting. Preliminary results show that termites generally avoided the signal-emitting side, with more soil being moved to the non-signal side. Soldier termites tended to stay on the signal side, while nymphs preferred the control side. When termites were found in the soil, they were mostly located near the roots farthest from the stem. Though sample numbers are low, these early results indicate that MiAC-S has the potential to be applied as a non-toxic vibration-based termite control to protect agriculture and forestry industry. Future planned field trials need to verify its effectiveness in orchards and for timber growers.
dc.language	en
dc.relation.ispartof	Proceedings of Acoustics 2024: Acoustics in the Sun
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess
dc.title	A microactuator device to mimic ant vibrations for termite deterrence on life plants
dc.type	Conference Proceeding
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Electrical and Data Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Transport Research Centre (TRC)
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Centre for Audio, Acoustics and Vibration (CAAV)
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Transport Research Centre (TRC)/Transport Research Centre (TRC) Associate Members
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.date.updated	2025-05-17T03:29:09Z
pubs.publication-status	Published

Abstract:

Termites cause over US$40 billion in damages and repairs worldwide annually in wooden infrastructure, and agriculture. Traditional termite control treatments rely on toxic chemicals like Fibronil, which are harmful to the environment (plants, pollinators, water contamination) and humans (chronic diseases, carcinogenic). To address this, a non-chemical, vibration-based repellent system (MiAC-S) is developed to leverage their vibration-based communication for eusocial behaviour. MiAC-S, built using an STM32 microcontroller and piezoelectric actuators, simulates the biomechanical model of a walking ant updated with experiments. It was tested in food-choice bioassays using Giant Northern termites on Mango and dwarf Macadamia saplings in a greenhouse and environmental chamber setting. Preliminary results show that termites generally avoided the signal-emitting side, with more soil being moved to the non-signal side. Soldier termites tended to stay on the signal side, while nymphs preferred the control side. When termites were found in the soil, they were mostly located near the roots farthest from the stem. Though sample numbers are low, these early results indicate that MiAC-S has the potential to be applied as a non-toxic vibration-based termite control to protect agriculture and forestry industry. Future planned field trials need to verify its effectiveness in orchards and for timber growers.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/187373