Brookline to bring in high-tech traps to zap and track rodents

A SMART box rat trap was placed along the bike path in Somerville in March.Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

A pest-control company will install high-tech rodent traps around the town of Brookline to reduce the number of rats in the area in the coming weeks, officials said.

New England exterminator Modern Pest will install 45 Anticimex SMART boxes — above-ground devices that sense, trap, and kill rats — in locations with high rodent activity, according to a statement from the Brookline Department of Public Health and Human Services and Department of Public Works.

When a rodent enters the trap, it receives an electric charge and gets stored in a plastic bag before it’s reset to catch more, according to the Anticimex website. The traps involve sensors that detect movement and body heat.

Also, five “SMART pipe” systems, which have similar functions, will be installed in the sewer, the statement said.

“While still relatively new to the US, this technology is proven throughout the world with over 350,000 units deployed worldwide,” David Lock, president of Modern Pest, said in the statement.

In addition to capturing and killing rodents, the boxes will provide the town with real-time data on these animals’ populations, the statement said.

“This data will help the town better deploy resources, including solid waste enforcement, restaurant inspections and additional pest control treatments,” the statement said.

Other cities and towns in Massachusetts, such as Somerville, Peabody, Cambridge, Arlington, Quincy, and Lowell, as well as Portland and Old Town in Maine, have undergone this “SMART” rodent initiative, according to Modern Pest.

The traps are also non-toxic and pose no risk to people, other animals, or the environment, the website said.