Zap The Zika Virus

Sound Frequency Wearable Technology Research Project

We have developed a wearable sensor-induced scent device that releases micro-doses of perfumes and essential oils in response to a biometric stimulus.

This device could also be an effective tool

for preventing bites from the Aedes aegypti mosquito — the primary vector of the Zika virus that has been linked to the birth defect microcephaly, in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and an underdeveloped brain.

It uses a sound sensor that performs real-time frequency analysis of mosquito noises and formulates viable detection strategies based on the ‘buzzz’ of the biting female mosquito.

By determining the best strategies for a small wearable scent system, our solution detects mosquitoes within a certain range.

This device can be discreetly embedded in an item of jewellery or clothing and will sit in close proximity to human skin, i.e. cuff, collar/hemline, jewellery and dispense insect repellent in response to the sound frequency of a localised mosquito. We are in the process of developing a library of mosquito sounds for a comprehensive Aedes aegypti database.

A visual description of the invention

Concept protected by the eScent patent, granted UK (2009) #GB 0426382.8 and China (2012)

This video demonstrates a user wearing a sensor-induced scent release device activated by sound

ZIKA Virus

The WHO has declared the recent Zika virus outbreak an ‘international public health emergency,’ Carried by the aedes mosquitoes, the virus has spread rapidly and has so far been detected in 25 countries, with a surge in cases of microcephaly particularly in northeastern Brazil. The Caribbean, Central and South America could lose about $63.9 billion in international tourism, with travel warnings where the 2016 Summer Olympics are scheduled to be held, according to data compiled by the World Bank.