ISROs Next Recruit? Man Builds S-400 Laser Mosquito Killer, Sparks Space Buzz
Mosquitoes have been a nuisance to human societies for centuries, serving as vectors for many diseases and deaths. Although traditional solutions such as sprays, coils, and electronic machines provide temporary relief, their efficiency usually declines with time. The viral clip features a homemade gadget that looks similar to advanced missile defense systems.
How The Device Works
The device is shown in the video releasing a brief, blue, laser-like beam that quickly kills flying mosquitoes. The beam flashes for a moment, zeros in on its flying target, and disappears as soon as the mosquito is killed. A caption for the video jokingly implied, "He made an S-400 style anti-mosquito system at home," further stating that "ISRO has offered him a job immediately."
The clip, widely posted on Instagram from the page @tatvavaani, contained a satirical remark as well, allegedly made by the head of ISRO, saying, "If he can shoot down mosquitoes in flight, he can definitely take on satellites too." Although these accusations are obviously tongue-in-cheek and unsubstantiated, the widespread press suggests the way creative thinking can inspire public imagination and even bring comedic attention to reputable organizations such as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by TatvaVaani (@tatvavaani)
Viral Sensation And Public Reaction
Within the span of a few days, the video had gained more than 1.9 million views, generating a whirlwind of positive comments from social media participants. People have praised the innovation and shown strong interest in obtaining similar devices for their households. Comments varied from utilitarian questions such as, "How much does it cost for one shot to kill mosquitoes?" to more fanciful proposals, with one of them suggesting the technology would be useful for the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in light of fears of nations creating mosquito-sized drones.
While the exact claim of an ISRO job offer is unfounded, it is consistent with ISRO's established support of private innovation and unconventional ideas in the nation. Whether this laser mosquito killer will ever be used in space is uncertain, but its viral popularity has definitely generated significant discussion and respect for the ingenuity of the inventor.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
Soham Parekh: The Indian engineer at the center of Silicon Valley's latest meme storm
In a tech world increasingly defined by layoffs, burnout, and remote work ethics, one Indian engineer has managed to become the unexpected face of both criticism and comedy. Soham Parekh, a tech professional with degrees from the University of Mumbai and Georgia Tech, is now at the center of a heated debate in Silicon Valley after being accused of moonlighting at multiple US startups without disclosure. The allegations, first made public by Mixpanel founder Suhail Doshi, quickly spiraled into viral internet content — turning Parekh into a controversial symbol of hustle culture gone rogue. Allegations of juggling startups The controversy kicked off when Doshi posted on X, warning other founders about Parekh. 'There's a guy named Soham Parekh (in India) who works at 3–4 startups at the same time. He's been preying on YC companies,' Doshi wrote, claiming to have fired him during his first week. In subsequent posts, Doshi said he had tried to reason with Parekh before going public, but 'it clearly didn't work.' Parekh's résumé — which includes a 9.83 GPA from the University of Mumbai and a master's from Georgia Tech — made the situation all the more baffling to onlookers. He had reportedly managed to land roles at multiple companies in stealth, exploiting the loose oversight in remote work setups. Social media saw opportunity But what might have remained a cautionary tale about hiring in the remote era quickly turned into a full-blown meme fest. As tech layoffs hit headlines — including Microsoft's announcement of 9,000 job cuts — users latched onto Parekh's story with sarcasm and satire. 'Microsoft just laid off 9,000 workers. All of them Soham Parekh,' one user joked. Another posted a photo of Zohran Mamdani with the caption: 'Soham Parekh is now running for mayor of New York, Boston, and Los Angeles.' A third user edited a picture of Soham where the latter can be seen holding a book called 'Cracking the Coding Interview with Soham Parekh.' He also captioned the post as, 'Soham Parekh could do the funniest thing.' Even parody accounts joined the pile-on, highlighting tech's double standards. One viral post asked: why is it a problem when someone like Parekh works for multiple companies, but not when Elon Musk runs Tesla, SpaceX, and more? The implication: race, class, and perceived legitimacy still shape the narrative in tech. Parekh responds: 'I've got something to prove' Facing intense scrutiny online, Parekh broke his silence with a lengthy response. 'There's a lot being said about me right now, and most of you don't know the full story,' he wrote. 'If there's one thing to know about me, it's that I love to build. That's it.' He described feeling isolated and 'shut out by nearly everyone I've known and every company I've worked at.' Despite the backlash, he announced he had signed an exclusive deal as the founding engineer at a new startup in the video AI space. 'They back misfits,' he said, noting that the company is planning to launch later this month. 'I'm pissed. And I've got something to prove,' he added, teasing more details in an upcoming interview with TBPN.
Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
From Space to industry: Isro's tech boosts A'bad firms
Ahmedabad: Three industries in Ahmedabad have acquired cutting-edge technologies originally developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro). These advancements, which include enhanced sub-surface mapping, early pest infestation detection and high-temperature resistant ceramics, were officially transferred on Thursday under tripartite technology transfer agreements (TTAs). The agreements between recipient industries, IN-SPACe and New Space India Ltd (NSIL) were signed at the IN-SPACe headquarters in Ahmedabad. In all, six technologies were transferred. "The transfer of these technologies marks a significant step towards empowering the private sector to harness and commercialize space technologies. Isro has a flourishing repository of R&D in space technologies, and it is time we leverage that to the optimum to strengthen India's space industrial ecosystem, and in that, industry-led innovation will play a key role," said Dr Pawan Goenka, Chairman of IN-SPACe. Rajeev Jyoti, director (technical directorate), IN-SPACe, told TOI that in all, 93 technology transfer agreements have been executed so far. "These technologies are in the upstream, downstream or midstream of the space ecosystem. They will give a major boost to tech development in the industries," he said, adding that several of these technologies were transferred to industries in Gujarat. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad IN-SPACe officials said tech transfer will enable private players to use it for commercial applications in space and other sectors. Two advanced inertial sensors — laser gyroscope and ceramic servo accelerometer — were also provided to Hyderabad-based Zetatek Technologies Pvt Ltd as part of tech transfer. Officials said that it is the first such transfer of niche tech which is often imported by different sectors in India. Additionally, two other Hyderabad-based companies, Avantel and Jisnu Communications, received technology transfers for communication and ground station operations, which can be applied in both space and defence sectors.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Opening new doors for Parliament's library service
In recent years, disruptions have been the hallmark of parliamentary proceedings in India. It is almost easy to forget that Parliament is not just a seat of politics. It is where policy is made and autopsied and the government is held accountable by people chosen to do so. Legislating on complex and diverse issues, from economic reforms and climate change to national security and emerging technologies is a daunting task. The key is to have access to world-class research and referral services. The Parliament library is one of the best in the country. Its services are used by research scholars, but only a handful of Members of Parliament (MP) use it, say MPs past and present. The Parliament Library and Reference, Research, Documentation and Information Service (LARRDIS) is prompt and efficient — an MP recalled how his online query about the speeches made by another MP during his 15-year parliamentary tenure led to all of them being sent to his email inbox within three days. Inputs, however, are limited to what is contained in its now entirely digitised volumes. 'It is not a research organisation or an academic institution,' was how one MP described the role of LARRDIS. But this gap is now filled by organisations such as PRS Legislative Research with its Legislative Assistants to Members of Parliament (LAMP) fellowships. Of the 800 or so MPs in Parliament, at any given point, only between 40 to 50 MPs have a LAMP fellow. Lauded for its immense value addition and effectiveness, LAMP nevertheless has finite resources — fellows spend a short time with MPs. Therefore, many MPs rely on political aides or external consultants for research. With House discussions devolving increasingly into political combats, many political parties also supply their MPs with talking points. This means that inputs to MP offices can be partisan or lacking in expertise or facts, resulting in debates that may lack analytical depth. The good, the bad and the ugly of LARRDIS While LARRDIS has been active in digitising parliamentary records such as creating PDF archives of Lok Sabha proceedings, committee reports, and rare books (even introducing a service in 2023 to share articles written by MPs with others), its services are predominantly reactive. MPs must submit requisitions either in person or online. The volume of requests by MPs for information surged from 150 in 1950 to over 8,000 in 2019. Yet, LARRDIS operates largely in a silo, with minimal partnerships with universities, think tanks, or consulting firms. This isolation limits its ability to provide proactive, anticipatory policy analysis and predict trends. It has also limited in-house research capacity. To meet the evolving demands of Indian democracy, there is a need for LARRDIS to evolve into an agile, forward looking, and inclusive research hub, making the best use of some of the premier academic institutes in the country. It will enrich India's legislative process. Other parliamentary research services Established parliamentary democracies have dedicated research units that provide lawmakers with authoritative, objective, and timely information. According to the Guidelines for Parliamentary Research Services by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), a holistic research function within the system ensures confidentiality, neutrality and institutional memory. The European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) collaborates with think tanks, academic partners, and other parliamentary services to build a diverse knowledge repository. It maintains an accessible website housing reports and policy digests. The EPRS tracks global trends affecting the European Union (EU), provides initial appraisals of European Commission impact assessments, and produces 'Cost of Non-Europe' reports assessing benefits of EU-level common action. Argentina's Scientific Office for Legislative Advice (OCAL) informs Parliament about scientific and technological options by collaborating with external institutions, conducts studies on social challenges, connects legislators with scientists and citizens, and runs training programmes. France's Parliamentary Office for Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Options (OPECST) and Mexico's Office for Information of Science and Technology for the Congress of the Union (INCyTU) serve similar roles. LARRDIS could emulate this proactive 360-degree approach. Partnerships with academic institutions for policy-relevant studies to address complex and emerging issues such as Artificial Intelligence governance or climate change can be one option. The IPU highlights such collaborations in countries such as Benin (Africa) and Colombia (South America), where embedding scholars co-author technical papers for enhanced research quality. Egypt attaches groups of specialists and research fellows to parliamentary committees. Sweden has the Association of MPs and Researchers (RIFO), for facilitating dialogue between lawmakers and researchers. Building an institutional asset A phased and consultative approach that is aligned with global best practices would be the ideal route for restructuring LARRDIS. LARRDIS's mandate, eligible users (MPs, citizens), turnaround timelines, and confidentiality protocols need to be delineated. Talent from think tanks, academic institutions, consulting agencies, and experts from organisations such as the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the United Nations Development Programme can add depth to its work. This is not merely an administrative reform. It is an investment in the quality of lawmaking, accountability, and governance. For a complex country such as India, the cost of misinformed policy can be staggering. A state-of-the-art research service would bridge the information asymmetry between legislature and executive, enhance the quality of debates, and strengthen the trust of citizens in parliamentary processes. Swati Sudhakaran is with Chase Advisors, a public policy advisory firm in New Delhi. Abantika Ghosh is with Chase Advisors, a public policy advisory firm in New Delhi. The views expressed are personal
