This idea seems so simple, but I can’t find any evidence of it being baked. A device would use one or several high-output LEDs in the 510 to 670 nanometers range. A very simple microcontroller or analog circuit would blink the LEDs in the appropriate pattern, with perhaps some fine-tuning available in the field (to match the characteristics of the local species). It would use solar powered rechargeable batteries just like the ubiquitous lawn lights you see everywhere.

A more elaborate model may have sensitive light sensors to detect and synchronize with the flashing of the fireflies in its vicinity.
-- ServoMan314, Jun 30 2008

A more elaborate model: Firefly_20Call
[Amos Kito, Jul 01 2008]

Digital fireflies. http://www.instruct...id/S5Q5D0JF05JJP51/
Plenty more - google "Atmel firefl[y|ies]" [AbsintheWithoutLeave, Jul 02 2008]

U got me - big Boy!
-- po, Jun 30 2008


Sounds good to me. Would it work?
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 30 2008


I tried it, but the neighbor's robotic bats kept taking out my LED network.
-- napoleonbag, Jul 01 2008


Oh my God, I thought you were trying to attract them so you could put them in an empty glass bottle with a peice of tissue paper, and a twig, and then stare at them for hours, and hours till they died. But you wouldn't do that, now would you?
-- blissmiss, Jul 01 2008


I just cannot reduce this to anything other than a frog stuck to an LED, a la imbecile to a frozen lampost.

On another tack, we have often caught frogs with simple (red) laser pens. Of course this will work! Given that LED's have a wide range of light frequency, and strobe frequency.
-- 4whom, Jul 01 2008


Won't this only attract female (non-lighting) fireflies? This isn't my field, but I thought the light show was a mating ritual, so though I love the idea of attracting lighting fireflies, I think it's a little mean if all it is doing is attracking females to the world's best robo-firefly. Though maybe it will work like ladies night at a bar and once the females are there the males will come?
-- MisterQED, Jul 02 2008


i stand corrected, this was already baked by AmosKito.
-- ServoMan314, Jul 02 2008


The part about rechargeable batteries is great! And the color idea's interesting -- it should be a pleasant light that you don't mind sitting next to. Maybe it would resemble little fireflies like the ones in blissmiss's kill jar.
-- Amos Kito, Jul 02 2008


// The part about rechargeable batteries is great //

And what's more, attract enough fireflies and their light will put power back into the photovolatics, making the system neatly self-sustaining ...... [+]
-- 8th of 7, Jul 02 2008


Could we bake this into a firefly power station?

"At night, the glow could be seen for miles..."
-- normzone, Jul 02 2008



random, halfbakery