The world’s largest pest control group is testing the use of facial recognition software as a way to exterminate rats in homes.
Rentokil said it had been developing the technology together with Vodafone for 18 months.
The surveillance technology, which is already being tested in real homes, tracks rodents’ habits and transmits analytics in real time using artificial intelligence.
A central command center can help decide where and how to kill rats caught on camera.
Rentokil chief executive Andy Ransom told the financial times:: “With facial recognition technology you can see that rat number one behaved differently than rat number three.
“And the technology will always identify which rat has returned, where they feed, where they sleep, who is causing the damage, what part of the building they come from, where they enter the building, is it the same rodent that caused the problem last week.” .
In developing the technology, Rentokil observed rats in a controlled environment, with cameras monitoring their behavior patterns. Machine learning using an AI system allows you to develop recognition capabilities.
Ransom said the purchase of Israeli market leader Eitan Amichai in December had given Rentokil access to “significant technology”. The new system is being tested by customers, including food producers and offices.
Rentokil intends to expand its operation and has acquired 300 businesses since 2016, according to reports.
The group is targeting “cities of the future” in countries that could soon experience a pest population boom, such as China, India and Indonesia.
“If you can identify which cities are going to have a mass influx of population, you can conclude that they are going to have significant rodent problems,” Ransom said.
In more positive news for rats, scientists recently discovered that they find rhythmic heartbeats irresistible and instinctively move to music. The ability was previously thought to be uniquely human.
“The rats displayed innate rhythm synchronization, that is, without any prior training or exposure to music,” said Dr. Hirokazu Takahashi of the University of Tokyo.
“Music exerts a strong appeal to the brain and has profound effects on emotion and cognition.”
