Cities step up data-driven efforts to outsmart rats

The City of Somerville in Massachusetts is piloting sensor-equipped rat traps that provide real-time data to inform pest control.

Working with partner Modern Pest Services, the city will install 50 SMART Boxes in four neighbourhoods for the five-month pilot.

When a rodent enters a SMART Box, sensors detect movement and body heat and activate a ‘catch’ function, immediately killing the rodent with an electrical current. The rodent is deposited into a closed container, then the trap automatically resets. SMART Boxes monitor and record rodent activity 24/7 and send alerts when activity is detected.

The boxes don’t use poisons and are securely locked, so they don’t pose risks to people,...