USask insect identification app takes top prize at Opus Innovation Expo

“During the first field season I started thinking it would be amazing to have farmers telling us what kind of insects they’ve found on their crops and I thought about a mobile app where they could record the presence or absence of different insects,” said Teresa Aguiar-Cordero, a PhD student in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at USask.

Aguiar-Cordero is the lead of IPPM Now, the advanced pest management app that won this year’s People’s Choice Award at the Opus Innovation Expo, an event that celebrates the incredible achievements of Opus i2Build founders and showcases their hard work over the program’s eight-month run.

“Right now, the prototype app allows you to take a picture of an insect, giving you basic information about the bug, the crops where they are usually found, and pest management strategies. In the case of a pollinator, or a ‘good bug,’ the platform gives you conservation information,” said Aguiar-Cordero.

Aguiar-Cordero trained as a biologist in Mexico before coming to USask to pursue graduate work in insect pest management. Her PhD research is focused on managing three common insect pests through different biocontrol methods, including using the predators of these insects.

“While doing my field work, I realized I didn’t have enough hands, gasoline, or time to complete a survey across the province and that’s where the idea of this technology came in,” said Aguiar-Cordero. “I thought it would be very valuable for farmers to be able to identify both potential pests and beneficial bugs while also having access to management tools.”

With this idea in mind, Aguiar-Cordero searched for resources at USask and discovered Opus’ i2Build, a cohort program that gives USask faculty, researchers, and students the knowledge, skills and support needed to launch deep tech startups. Through i2Build, founders have access to entrepreneurial programming, infrastructure, and a network of mentors and coaches to help build successful ventures.

“Opus’ i2Build program gave us the information that we needed to start taking off your lab coat and putting on your business hat,” said Aguiar-Cordero. “It’s a challenging process because I’m a researcher, I don’t really know how to start a company, but the program was very helpful and supportive and helped me navigate all regulations, laws, and inner workings of creating a business.”

To develop the IPPM Now platform, Aguiar-Cordero collaborated with USask alumni Emilo Tellarini, a pollinator scientist at Saskatchewan Beekeepers Development Commission, and USask graduate student Gabriel Guerra Mestanza, an electrical and computer engineering student who created and trained the AI model that powers the app.

Aguiar-Cordero and the IPPM Now team are focused on expanding their line of products to picture monitored smart traps, which can capture and count different insects on a larger scale.

“Our goal is to make these tools as easy to use and helpful for producers as possible,” said Aguiar-Cordero.