Searching for bed bugs: The design, development, and evaluation of an oscillator-based trans-2-hexenal sensor array
Nikhil Bajaj, Natalie C. Giampietro, Katherine Mao, Mary E. Rushton, Neil A. Spomer, and Jeffrey F. Rhoads
Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 2021
The detection of urban pests, such as bed bugs, has economic and human health implications. The current methods of insect detection leveraged in daily practice include visual inspection; passive interception devices, such as sticky traps; and active monitoring traps, which exude odors that the insects are attracted to. This paper describes recent advancements related to the resonant sensing of trans-2-hexenal vapor, which offers practical utility in bed bug detection. The described sensing system includes a resonant element that is more sensitive than those reported in prior work. The work also details the method by which the functional chemistries were developed, efficiently screened, and evaluated using a multi-channel resonant sensing approach.