Every camping trip comes with at least one unexpected bug encounter. A new app called Cicada Hunt identifies your new eight- or sixteen-legged friends by the sounds they make.
Cicada Hunt works similar to music-identifying app Shazam. When you hear a bug nearby, the app listens for a short period of time and detects the particular species based on the sound it makes.
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According to a New Scientist report, the app was specifically designed to be used in the New Forest in Southampton, UK to identify the Cicadetta montana, an endangered cicada species in the forest. If the park’s millions of annual visitors use this app, researchers will be able to create a heat map of the insects' spread in the area.
Cicada Hunt was recently presented at an artificial intelligence conference in China. The app is currently only loaded with Cicada information, but its developers are updating it with additional birds and bug information so it can be used to track a number of different species. Ultimately, the app's technology can be used to identify other bugs and animals, ranging from bats to grasshoppers.
The Cicada Hunt app is available for free in the App Store.