Problem Statement

According to the CDC, there are up to 13 diseases and 3 parasites that are directly transmitted by mosquitos and their bites. Of up to the 500 million people affected by these diseases each year, over a million of these cases are fatal. Because of the nature of their size, and how widespread they are, this is a worldwide issue.

Introduction

The major goal in mind is to produce designs that have hold substance in both effectivity and reality. These designs must be fit to be compared and contrasted with each other to find the best in each concept while also narrowing down on a solution that sticks. In order to begin the process of generating ideas, I used methods like listings to improve current solutions, and free writing to create fresh concepts. The idea here was to manifest ideas that were both realistic and effective. Again, the main idea is to utilize the creative differences of the individual sketches to come closer to a feasible solution.

Solution Concepts

Solution Concepts Descriptions

1. This dispenser is used to emit a toxic liquid in spray form when it senses a mosquito. The big idea behind this one is those automatic Febreze air-fresheners that randomly spray, or spray when a sensor is activated.

2. This is a cylindrical tube with a fan at the bottom to blow a chemical that attracts mosquitos to the sticky pad. The interesting goal with this one was to attract mosquitos and trap them before they can do harm.

3. The concept behind this design was to make a product that adapts to any surroundings. My idea was to make an attachable, stretchy cover for fans, air vents, or any other place that air would be pushed out. This would emit natural aromas that would both fill the house with pleasant smells and discourage the presence of mosquitos.

4. Take for example Scentsy products and their use of wax to emit aromas. This would implement the same technology that would either discourage or encourage the presence of mosquitos. It would be basic to have the smells push them away. It would be more interesting if there was a tar-like substance that traps them once they are drawn toward the smell.

5. This mist would be used for outside places that would need frequent extermination of large populations of mosquitos. This would be a popular pick for patio areas, or any areas where many people would be exposed to the outside.

6. This would serve to be an alarm-like system that notifies people that there is a large presence of mosquitos. Mosquito emit a frequency of about 300~400hz depending on their gender. This could also be used to find nest of theirs by exploiting their audible drone.

7. Again, we have a concept that would attract already existing mosquitos to a trap. This trap involves drawing them to a cool, damp area, perfect for nesting. Once they are detected, a spray will shoot out that kills them (Raid-like chemical).

8. This device uses the outside wind as a tool to distribute natural aromas that again, discourage the presence of mosquitos. This will essentially be a big fan, as it would fling smells in all directions and be carried with the wind. An alternative is to use this design, but as a motor-powered figure.

9. This is a storage container that would float on large bodies of water (lakes, ponds, etc…). It would hold pods that drop into the water every time it detects mosquitos. The chemical pod will be something like Summit Mosquito Dunks.

10. In the name of exploring alternative methods, with design will be used to attract mosquitos using frequencies. Female mosquitos (the ones that bite) are drawn to 484hz. We could bait them with this frequency and trap them with a toxic, sticky substance on top.

11. I wanted to mimic what mosquitos are already drawn toward, human skin. This design will try to lure in mosquitos with a warm, skin-like layer and heat to body temperature. The skin will be able to trap the mosquito’s sucker and be unable to escape. That, or we could implement a fake liquid that would harm the mosquito rather than help it.

12. Places like planters and pots tend to serve as the perfect breeding grounds for mosquitos. An excellent way to avoid this issue from growing is constantly disturbing this area. In this case, it would be located near the base of the plant and would spin randomly. There are similar devices with pigeons.

13. This device will implement a technology I had previously used in the patent portion of the project. I aim to perfect the design and for a compact, easy to use function. The hole at the top will serve to swallow mosquitos, and the heat at the bottom will kill them.

14. For this Dr. Suess-ish design, I decided to improve the traditional technique of slapping the mosquitos. This device will again, attract the mosquitos to a pad that will ultimately slam shut once a mosquito is detected.

15. This is another device that would instead invite mosquitos to a cool, damp, dark environment. Once the sensor is triggered, a toxic chemical is released to kill the mosquitos that fall into this trap.

Decision Matrix

Concept Designs

Conclusions

The concepts I ended up producing were largely based on having mosquitos already present. An interesting idea I decided to confront was approaching the issue with a backwards logic. Instead of trying to push mosquitos away from the area, I decided to see what kinds of solutions would instead invite mosquitos and eliminate them. Another concept I wanted to implement was that of using a design that would adapt to somebodies’ own home. Convenience and effectivity were the biggest factors in creating each of these designs. I really want to avoid using toxic sprays in the name of the user’s safety, despite it being the idea that sparked my creativity the most. After completing the sketches, it felt interesting breaking away from the norms of the mosquito-repellant industry with fresh ideas that made me wonder why others hadn’t tried previously tried it. This made me realize, although some of these ideas show promise in effectively defeating mosquitos, the issue will be making these ambitious alternatives into reality.