Chinese AI Laser Mosquito Killer Raises Over US$2.5m After Viral TikTok Video

A portable AI-powered laser device designed to shoot mosquitoes out of the air has gone viral overseas, helping a Chinese startup raise more than US$2.5 million on crowdfunding platform Indiegogo, the company told Cover News yesterday.

Developed by Changzhou-based Photon Matrix Intelligent Technology Co Ltd in east China's Jiangsu Province, the device combines lidar, millimeter-wave radar and AI-powered visual recognition to detect and eliminate mosquitoes in real time.

The product, named Photon Matrix, has attracted more than 3,500 backers worldwide, with orders surpassing 3,000 units — far exceeding the company's original fundraising target of US$20,000.

Priced at US$648, the device initially raised doubts about whether consumers would accept its relatively high price. Interest surged, however, after a demonstration video went viral on TikTok.

The clip, titled "Mosquito Air Defense" and posted in May 2025, showed the device tracking and zapping mosquitoes with laser precision on a riverside lawn at dusk. The footage quickly spread across social media platforms, with many overseas users describing it as "Chinese mysterious tech."

According to the company, views of the video jumped from around 10,000 to more than 70 million within a short period. Its TikTok account has since gained over 117,000 followers and more than 8 million likes.

Founder Wang Chuan said the idea grew out of his own frustration with mosquitoes during summers in his hometown of Liyang, a city under the jurisdiction of Changzhou. Around 2022, he began exploring whether technologies commonly used in autonomous sensing and defense systems could be adapted for household mosquito control.

The company spent nearly three years developing the product. Team members even bred mosquitoes themselves to conduct repeated testing during development.

According to the company, the current version can identify mosquitoes with more than 95 percent accuracy within a range of 6 meters and eliminate up to 30 mosquitoes per second. The system is also designed to automatically disable the laser when humans or pets enter the detection zone.

Photon Matrix Intelligent Technology Co Ltd was officially established in September 2025. The company said it has applied for more than 23 patents and invested over 12 million yuan (about US$1.7 million) in research and development.

Production of the first batch of 4,000 units is currently underway, with deliveries expected to begin this summer.

Beyond household mosquito control, the company said it hopes to expand the technology into areas such as agricultural pest management and warehouse protection, applying its AI-powered laser detection system to broader industrial scenarios.