Light-Up Device Lets You 'Talk' to Fireflies

One of summer's most magical sights is an otherwise ordinary field or backyard illuminated by tiny, pulsing points of living light, as fireflies emerge at dusk. And now, a handheld gadget called the Firefly Communicator will allow people to take part in fireflies' light-coded "conversations."

With the device, which resembles the insect it was built to mimic, users can communicate with fireflies by pushing a single button to emit stored patterns of light pulses that copy actual firefly signals, issuing a "come hither" message that attracts fireflies and lets users observe them up close.

Fireflies send their coded messages using a chemical process calledbioluminescence, which takes place in a specialized structure in their abdomens. The insect controls its own "light switch," triggering when the light goes on and off by regulating the amount of oxygen introduced into its light organ.

Scientists have found that firefly species generate unique light patterns to communicate with their own kind and to attract mates. Some species also use light flashes to lure other fireflies as prey, with females imitating the coded messages of other firefly species to trick males into coming closer so they can eat them.

Inventor Joey Stein — the Firefly Communicator's creator and the owner and lead interactive designer for Genus Ideas Inc. in New York City — told Live Science that he collaborated with entomologists specializing in fireflies in order to identify known firefly communication codes for the device, and to test it in the field. He launched a Kickstarter campaign for the Firefly Communicator on March 14, and the project reached its $10,000 funding goal after only two weeks. The campaign has raised more than $14,000 to date.