The Center of Innovation (COI) for Agribusiness offers, among many other services, access to top-notch research and product commercialization assistance. Recently, Georgia scientists Glen C. Rains and W. Joe Lewis, owners of SmartHound Technologies and inventors of the Wasp Hound, called on the COI for Agribusiness for help finding angel investors to fund research and development of their groundbreaking technology. In addition to creating avenues for SmartHound to increase product awareness, the COI for Agribusiness continues to offer guidance and support as the Wasp Hound transitions from lab concept to commercial enterprise.

The Wasp Hound, a hand-held device containing five parasitic wasps, is designed to measure the change in the insects’ behavior when an odor is detected. Research indicates that these wasps can be taught to “sniff out” just about anything – from explosives and drugs to bedbugs. While Rains and Lewis are hoping to pique public interest with the Wasp Hound’s ability to discover bedbugs, they also see applications for the technology in the forensics and food safety arenas.

Following is an article published recently in The New York Times about the Wasp Hound and SmartHound’s journey to bring this innovative technology to market.