Scientists Create Street Light That Mimics Humans To Trap Mosquitoes

The mosquito is without a doubt one of the most annoying things about warm weather. Every time the seasons change, you’ll get so excited about it being warm again that you forget about mosquitoes until you get bit on the foot whilst sitting around a bonfire. That may seem annoying, but mosquitoes also carry diseases like Malaria and West Nile. Now, there is something even worse hitching a ride with the mosquito: The Zika Virus.

To try and counter the explosion of this virus, scientists from the University of Malaysia may have created a way to prevent the spread of this virus that has shown up all over the world — a street lamp that mimics a human being to trap the douche bag of the insect world.

The LED street lamp invention produces low levels of carbon dioxide by combining U.V. light with titanium dioxide. What this does is emulate the smell of a human being. If you’ve ever used those sprays to keep mosquitoes away, what that does is masks your odor to them so they don’t notice you. It may make you smell weird, but slapping yourself and risking something isn’t a better option.

Once the mosquito is attracted to the smell of the lamp giving off the odor, they enter capture windows where they’re sucked into a capture net by a fan. Have a look at the lamp:

The lamps are also green and energy efficient. It uses the Eco-Greenery outdoor lighting system, which is designed to gather energy from wind and solar so it can off-set the small amounts of carbon it emits to trap the mosquitoes in the lamp. The lamp is also designed to work in flooding situations, which will also notify rescue teams to the flood levels.

This lamp is not only a good thing to stop mosquitoes and the spread of disease worldwide, it’s also something that will pay for itself that impoverished nations would need. The spread of diseases and viruses from mosquitoes is monumental, so the thought of having these on every street corner could put millions of families at ease.

(Via Research Sea)

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Jeff Sorensen is an author, writer and occasional comedian living in Detroit, Michigan. You can look for more of his work on The Huffington Post,UPROXX,BGR and by just looking up his name.

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