A robot “dog” may soon make its way from a Purdue entomology lab to fetch real-time data on tick populations in the wild. It’s just one example of how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming medical entomology by offering innovative ways to track, analyze and control the insect populations that affect human, animal and environmental health. Researchers in the Department of Entomology in Purdue University’s College of Agriculture are at the forefront of the field. They’re advancing the university’s One Health initiative as they use AI in new ways to study mosquitoes, ticks, cockroaches, bed bugs and other arthropods. Tracking tick populations is essential for controlling the spread of tickborne diseases, but it’s not a straightforward task. That’s why Hill, alongside Maria Murgia, postdoctoral researcher in the entomology department, and Upinder Kaur, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE), are combining AI, robotics and entomology for an innovative approach to tracking ticks.