AÑO
2019
CATEGORÍA
Comunidad
OBJETIVOS
Ciudades y comunidades sostenibles
PAL. CLAVE
mosquitoes, streetlights, infrastructure
PAÍS
Malaysia
CRÉDITOS
Researchers at the University of Malaya,
Chong Wen Tong
LINK
http://www.industrytap.com/solar-powered-streetlight-tackle-denguecharge-phones-send-disaster-warnings/34972
Malaysian streetlight
Streetlights that kill mosquitoes, charge phones and send disaster warnings
At the top of the new Malaysian streetlight, a wind turbine and solar panels gather power, so it’s possible for it to work completely off the grid in rural areas. A box on the lamppost attracts mosquitoes by trying to smell like a human: a UV light and titanium dioxide combine to make a little CO2, which is as irresistible to mosquitoes as human breath. Once the insects fly closer to investigate, a fan sucks them in and kills them. Having a network of the lights could help fight dengue fever, a mosquito-borne illness that killed 200 people in the country last year. In a flood–something that’s also common in the area–the streetlight can measure the height of floodwater, and send reports and warnings via an antenna.