---
title: "Former MBDA engineer creates mini-drone that eliminates mosquitoes using sonar"
description: "A former engineer from the MBDA missile corporation created the 40-gram Tornyol drone, which hunts mosquitoes using sonar and AI. 🦟🚁 The device autonomously patrols an area of up to 20,000 m² and returns to charge on its own. In mass production, the price will drop to a few hundred dollars. 🛡️"
date: 2026-07-18T13:44:01.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/former-mbda-engineer-creates-mini-drone-that-eliminates-mosquitoes-using-sonar
tags: [tornyol, alex-toussaint, mbda, drones, ai]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Former MBDA engineer creates mini-drone that eliminates mosquitoes using sonar

![Red mini-drone with four propellers, developed by a former MBDA engineer, flies in the air and destroys mosquitoes using sonar](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/18/byvsii-inzhenyer-mbda-sozdal-kroshchiny-dron-ohotnik-na-komarov/byvsii-inzhenyer-mbda-sozdal-kroshchiny-dron-ohotnik-na-komarov-1.webp)

Summer evenings on terraces and in parks are often marred by pesky insects. However, as practice shows, even against small enemies, high-tech weaponry can be applied. Alex Toussaint, a former engineer at the European missile systems developer MBDA, has presented a solution that takes the fight against mosquitoes to a new level: an autonomous drone weighing only 40 grams.

### Missile technologies against insects

The novelty, named Tornyol, is not just a flying trap, but a complex robotic system. The drone is oriented in space using AMD ultrasonic sonar. The system uses phased microphones, the signal from which is processed by a local artificial intelligence algorithm. Thanks to this, the machine is capable of detecting insects in flight and intercepting them before they enter the protected zone.

The effectiveness of the system was confirmed during the first tests. The prototype successfully detected a plastic ball only 2 mm in size from a distance of 30 cm, using only 1/1300 of the standard transmission power. This result confirmed a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio and brought the developers closer to the stated goal — tracking mosquitoes at a distance of up to 3 meters. During outdoor tests, the first living object intercepted by the drone was a flying butterfly.

### Autonomy and ease of use

The main advantage of Tornyol is full autonomy. The user does not need to manually control the device or set traps. It is enough to define the protection zone on the map of the base station. One unit is capable of guarding open or closed spaces of up to 20,000 square meters.

The power consumption issue is solved by a cyclic system. The battery charge of the current prototype lasts for three minutes of active flight. As soon as the battery runs out, the drone automatically returns to the charging station. The charging process takes about 30 minutes, after which the device resumes patrolling on its own. The machine itself consumes less than 5 W of energy and is equipped with TDK InvenSense T3902 microphones.

### Availability and prospects

At the moment, the cost of the prototype is estimated at $1100. However, according to the developers, when mass production is launched, the price of the analog will drop to a few hundred dollars, and the reduced version will cost even less. To place a pre-order, a deposit of $100 is required, which is refundable.

The company offers two options for owning the device: a one-time payment or a subscription. When purchasing, a one-year warranty is provided, while drones taken on a subscription are replaced in case of breakdown. The project, launched by the engineer as the Tornyol startup, demonstrates how advanced technologies can solve domestic problems, making outdoor relaxation comfortable.