Verasound (V-Sound)

The use of pesticides in plantations is a problem that affects not only groundwater, damaging and intoxicating marine species, but is also a nutritional problem in view of the ingestion of harmful substances to humans.But it's a necessary method nowadays to ward off unwanted pests on plantations.

This project proposes a great reduction in the use of pesticides, sustituizing the pollution of water, atmosphere and soils by a less harmful pollution to life on Earth;the noise pollution.The Verasound will ward off and eliminate pests by means of sonar waves,enabling a great reduction in the use of pesticides.

Thus, while reducing pollution rates, we have also reduced the loss of food production in plantations, also caused by the ineffectiveness of pesticides and the adaptability of insects and pests to them. So a place that once had little demand for food could receive more.

Regardless of how developed a country is, agriculture has been an essential service for all mankind for thousands of years, and is now also associated with a nation's economic sector. However, the problems caused by the use of pesticides in agriculture in order to ward off pests and make the most of the harvest,not only bring problems to the environment,but also to the human being himself, such as intoxication of the organism by ingestion of food treated with chemicals, and the loss of food for species that adapt to pesticides, causing considerable economic and human losses,as will be shown below.

According to reliable sources, about 54% of the world's wasted food is lost at the initial stage(production and storage). That is, the amount of food we lost before reaching the market would be enough to reduce hunger in the world by more than 50%. Thus, we realize that much of the damage done to the environment in agriculture which is one of the biggest causes of pollution in the world,and the resources invested, is in vain,due to the large number of people who are currently starving, compared to the demand that we would actually be able to provide to everyone.

Verasound replaces pesticides used in plantations, based on the old concept of sound waves as "weapons". Using human-friendly factors, such as the difference in frequency perception between humans and other animals,in this case the pests in plantations,the Verasound issues waves capable of scaring away the target by auditory irritability,or kill the target,which is the most effective method.

A mall in the US has used low frequencies (14 KHZ) to ward off young troublemakers who could capture these frequencies, while older people could not hear them due to the difference in auditory perception.That is,the frequencies of waves emitted by V-Sound varies according to the auditory capacity of the species that wishes to combat ,if the auditory capacity of the species is large, the frequency emitted must be great to destroy it,and because of the difference in auditory perception,only the targets will be hit.

Thus, the Verasound being adapted to the pests that attack a specific plantation, will detect them through its pin fixed to the ground, or through reflected sound waves that capture beings in the air (such as the bat), so that it emits certain sound frequencies to destroy the "small invaders" of the plantations and keep them alway.

The target audience to whom this project is intended are passive agents in the pollution process, that is, rivers and lakes and all the lives that exist in them, such as fish that ingest toxic substances, causing various damage to their body and even to humans who consume it. Thus, the substitution of chemical pollution by noise pollution will be a positive transition for them, with the great decrease or even cancellation of the impacts suffered by them because of pesticides. However, it is worth mentioning that the polluting side (human) will also have great improvements. An example of this is the better effectiveness of Verasound against pests, causing a decrease in food loss in the production phase, thus bringing more profits to farmers and also enabling better distribution of food globally.

Therefore, Verasound has the function of helping vulnerable beings in the process of pollution and in the loss of food produced, not totally ending these problems, but showing that it is possible a more sustainable production method and that generates less losses, giving benefits to both the human (polluter) and nature.

The main function of Verasound is to reduce the great demand for pesticides used in plantations, poisons that cross groundwater and reach rivers and lakes, intoxicating marine species and reaching the atmosphere through the water cycle. However, one of the biggest victims in this process is the human being himself, who consumes these foods treated with chemicals and lives in an environment of contaminated atmosphere, such atmospheric contamination aggravated with the use of pesticides. Therefore, we need to replace this obsolete method of pest fighting as soon as possible, at least before it is too late.

Even with all existing technologies, we humans still can not find a way to cultivate in agriculture and ward off pests without the use of poison, which seems to be absurd.Because the pesticide is one of the main concerns of certain nations today, primarily European countries such as Germany that reduced the import of products from countries that abuse polluting methods.And only with this fact, V-Sound is already an innovative technology.

Because the problem caused by pesticides and the demand for change, many engineers today work and improve drones and robots to monitor agriculture, causing them to identify, collect data and show the exact location where pests settle, so that pesticides are applied only where the pests are, decreasing the demand for these poisons. The advantage of V-Sound over these robots is their functionality, because even if these robots reduce the demand for pesticides, they do not fight pests, while V-Sound is the fighter itself, which will allow a further reduction of these poisons, and perhaps one day even them extinguish.

Although Verasound does not solve all the problems of pests in agriculture, it proves to be a practical and innovative technology, a new model of pest fighting, without harming the soil, nature or human being. His methods are not necessarily definitive, being open to improvements, working together and new versions so that one day this problem be solve.

The method of operation of Verasound is not new, because we have long known the power of a sound wave and its lethality.

Even though there aren't many records of the use of a sonic weapon, we can remember the case that occurred in 2014, when the NYPD used a sound weapon to drive away a crowd protesting the death of a young black man. The protesters reported nausea and discomfort, and that it was impossible to stay close.This is the example of how Verasound will work by warding off pests in plantations, but with sound waves according to the hearing capacity of the target (There it is the analogy to the modern Scarecrow).

The Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) is a device created a few decades ago, and has characteristics similar to the Verasound. First its use was limited only to militaeres and vessels that were subject to being attacked by pirates, so LRAD emitted sound waves capable of scaring away these bandits. Currently the LRAD has been used in demosntrations, causing protestants to be discouraged with the intense sound powers of this device. I can't say that Verasound is a new application of this weapon. Because even if these two devices have similar functions,the Verasound has a different purpose ,and I only knew the LRAD after much search about methods of emissions of sound waves capable of injuring the organism, while I was already in the development phase of Verasound.

For more than 50 years science has been trying to find a method of using infrasounds in weapons of war, because its power can destroy buildings and even burst human organs. Verasound however is a device based on this concept,but aimed at agriculture rather than weapons of war, and with many improvements that allow it to work alone,without the help of people.

The LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device) is a sound cannon that is currently being widely used in protests, as it emits waves capable of stunning people. In this way the police turn away protesters "without causing them physical damage".But it is not true, because  waves with these characteristics can cause sequelae to the human organism.

Here's a video of the LRAD sound cannon, used at a protest in Pittsburgh(2009).In this action, the sonic weapon issued high frequencies at a high intensity to fend off the protesters:https://youtu.be/QSMyY3_dmrM

And this video show the functionality of LRAD:https://youtu.be/3sqIvak-4Ek

But we know that a sound weapon can be more lethal than that, because if infrasound can explode human organs and destroy buildings, it can certainly eliminate small pests.So we can apply these concepts that I quoted to the Verasound.In this way, Verasound will be able to scare away pests from plantations,in this case are suggested high frequency waves with high intensity (As in the first video).And eliminate them, in this case are suggested low frequency waves, even if high frequencies can also tear eardrums and cause physical damage to the organism.

Verasound's entry into the market is not going to be difficult, and big farmers are likely to support this idea. Because even if "one" Verasound at first is more expensive than "one" pesticide, if Verasound is programmed to last many years (contrary to market logic) it will not need to be replaced, and after five years (for example), the use of Verasoud may be cheaper than the use of pesticides. Soon after the farmers join Verasound, the world will have immediate changes. And this change is not limited only to the reduction of pollution and intoxication that pesticides cause. There will also be positive changes for humans, such as the decrease in the intake of poisoned foods and an increase in field productivity, with greater profits not only for farmers, but also for all nations that depend on agriculture.But even with all these positive changes, there will still be a negative consequence that I must mention and resolve it.

This project has as main target the "great farmers",but we must not forget that there are still small farmers, that is, family farming.In my country (Brazil) they occupy 85% of the agricultural land, and supply 70% of the national food, that is, they have a very great importance. And even with all this status, they still cultivate sustainable method with low levels of pesticides.Therefore,when Verasound be introduced in the market, most poor farmers probably will not be able to have access to it, so the difference between rich and poor farmers will increase even more, causing a great inequality due to lack of access to technology, leading these small farmers to bankruptcy for not being able to compete in the market. This in addition to harming these farmers, can generate an imbalance in the country itself.

However, we need a solution to that,how to subsidize these small farmers so that they have access to Verasound as well, or even the gratuity of this device for these people.Because after all, we can not stop producing technology, and this technology also can not stop helping people, even those who can not possess them.

During the first year of verasound's operation, the first impacts will be on the economic sector of the countries. Because as soon as Verasound starts operating, plantation production will be more effective, so all strong nations in agriculture will be positively affected.Considering only the five countries that export the most in agriculture (USA, Netherlands, Brazil, France and Germany), there will already be more than 700 million lives impacted by the actions of Verasound.And even if it is an indirect impact, this is such an impact that I couldn´t fail to mention.In the same period of time, farmers and the rural environment will also undergo major changes,because the increase in production will allow farmers using Verasound to profit more.And if we propose a way for everyone to have access to Verasound (as I proposed in the theory of change), we can add thousands more rural lives that will be positively impacted by this device.

Finally, the impacts on the environment, verasound's main objective, will occur over a longer period of time. They aren't human lives, but they are lives that have been damaged by the poison used in plantations, and we have a moral duty to reverse these damages. The damage caused to nature by pesticides has been severe,all soils, rivers, lakes and marine species that have been contaminated will take time to recover. I don't foresee it will take as long as five years, but we can say that this will be "in their time".

My goals scheduled for the next twelve months is to develop Verasound, if it is one of the chosen, and improve my learning as much as possible to be able to develop other projects that bring benefits to the world, as well as V-Sound.And to better learn, I also intend to visit places and participate more actively in social causes.Because only in this way will I be able to know "of what the world needs",and then I will be able to produce the demand according to this need.

The next years (five years) will be project developing. Believe that in this period I will be much more experienced and be able to produce other projects that can change the world, besides Verasound.Therefore, it will be the period in which I will put into practice everything I learned, not only in the next twelve months, but in my whole life since I learned that our greatest motivation to live, besides the people we love , is to make this world a better place.

Currently, due to the pandemic, we can say that we have "big obstacles" to face, however, the news today is more encouraging, and the hope is that this phase will end soon. In the matter of "normal barriers",the only one that could hinder my performance is the financial issue.

I'm a 19-year-old, which means I'm at the beginning of adulthood. Currently I am not employed,so I don't have any income.Unfortunately the unemployment rates in my country are very high, I looked for work in my country for four years, but the results were negative. Right after i finished high school,i got into physics college, and I was studying until before the pandemic.

In this moment of isolation, I found the Solve project of MIT, which was something very positive for me, because I had time to work on it.Now with the  idea delivered and i having economic partners who help me fund it, I would have no problem developing my projects, neither next year nor in the next five years

The way I intend to solve the barriers that can impede performance in my project (financial barriers) is to find good economic partners. However, not any partner who provides me with money, but also a partner who intends to help the world, just as I do.

Verasound is a project that has as main objective to help,that is, it is for a humanitarian cause. So my economic partner would have to aim for the same goals as me, so there's no instability in the relationship.

In this way, with an economic partner aligned with my ideas, I believe that there are no more barriers planned for the delivery of this and other projects

The only people to worked in this Project was me:Fabricio Dias

I don't have any staff or organization,the only thing that i needed was my brain and focus in this work.

I consider myself an intelligent person,not the smartest, but smart enough. However, my imagination is something I have strong, and I needed only of this and focus to do this project.

From the first time I met physics in middle school, I knew that's what I wanted for my life. Since then I've been studying, sometimes out of obligation and sometimes for fun. Today I am a physics student at a University in Brazil, and with everything I've learned about this amazing science so far, I'm applying this project. I hope that all the knowledge I have gained over the years will be enough to develop a project that can change the world.

Since a long time,I have two desires in my life:The first is to work in the area that I like (Science and technology);and the second is to help make this world a better place. From the moment I saw the MIT Solve ad for the first time, I knew it would be a great opportunity in my life. Because with the proposal offered by MIT Solve, I was able to combine these two big dreams and develop them in one project:Verasound.

However, now with the project almost finished, I see that applying to MIT Solve has enabled benefits far beyond realizing my dreams. Because with the development of Verasound, I learned much more about the evils that pesticides cause, and about who are the most affected by these poisons and how we can help them. I learned to be more sensitive to these social causes, and that there is no point in developing so much technology to comfort ourselves if we can not solve a simple problems such as the replacement of pesticides in plantations.In other words, applying to MIT Solve made me more "human".

With the delivery of this project, I hope to be able to develop it if it is one of the chosen and achieve a good economic partner. That way I will be able to apply everything I've learned on this mission not just in Verasound, but in all the projects I'll do in my life.

Currently, the partnerships I need are those that help me to take Verasound to the Market. Because as I have reported, I do not have much money, so it would be a problem for me to only have the project,but not be able to produce it or make it reach the hands of end consumers. So I'm looking for partners who are willing to help me with these details and have the same ambitions that I have (change the world for the better).

The phase that will probably require more resources will be in the development of Verasound, that is, in the construction of the prototype. The advertising part does not seem to be a problem, because Verasound already draws attention by itself because it is one of the first devices to replace pesticides, but even so it will also need resources to launch it to the market.

Currently, in the competitive world of free market in which we live, profiting is what makes somebody important and relevant to other people, because of course, money is important to survive and shows the result of our efforts, earns more the one who strives harder, or is smarter. Verasound also enters this market to profit, because after all we need money to keep the business and continue producing. However, above any profit or empty luxury that this world can offer, Verasound has the function of helping people and leaving a legacy, because I honestly do not know about a better reason to be alive.

So as I have reported, I seek partners who have the same goals as me,and I know that there are several companies that seek this and works with Science and tecnology. But the companies I think are better aligned with the Verasound's objective are the:"MIT HK Innovation Node", "United Nations Environment Programme" and "The Nature Conservancy". But any other company that at least aims to help make the world a better place will always be welcome.

I believe that Verasound more than everyone, deserves to compete for this award, because the molds of this prize fit perfectly in this project that proposes a new technology that will impact many lives in a concrete way.

Its operation is not a new to anyone, but its application is what promises to lead revolution in rural areas and relieve the world of the problem of pollution, besides helping to solve other problems directly (such as improving production in plantations).

If Verasound is the winner of the Al for Humanity Prize, I will apply that money to be able to finish at least the first prototype of Verasound and for its marketing.However, I do not intend to use all the money only in this project, but also in my career (I'm at the beginning of my career)and for other similar projects that seek to solve problems that humanity cannot solve.