Awesome
New Ideas For A Better Tomorrow (8)-A
Blanket That Fights Mosquitoes
Life-saving
gadgets, safer ways to travel, solutions for sanitation and
cost-effective answers to everyday problems… India has a host of
good ideas just waiting to explode. See what’s bubbling under
We scouted the length and breadth of the country to find the brightest innovations. The list continues
BRAINCHILD
OF: Shreya and Kasturi Poddar
Imagine
a mosquito flying towards you as you get ready for bed. It’s
dengue season and none of those coils, creams and vapourisers have
worked. You need better weaponry.
How
about some killer technology from the US and German army? A blanket
treated with a chemical that paralyses and kills any mosquito
foolish enough to come close. And no, it doesn’t smell, cause a
reaction or harm the user. It just soldiers on as you sleep.
That’s
what Mumbai sisters Kasturi and Shreya Poddar developed in 2014.
Textile design student Kasturi was working at her father’s home
furnishings firm when she discovered that army uniforms in the West
were being treated with mosquito repellents. “I was shocked nobody
was using it anywhere,” she says. She teamed up with her sister,
Shreya (a marriage counsellor) to develop a blanket that could be
treated with the same chemical and Mos-Quit-O was born.
The
Poddar girls have run safety tests at WHO-certified labs to ensure
their blanket won’t trigger allergies. “A young mother just
bought it for her child,” says Shreya. “It’s safe for
everyone.”
STATUS:
Mos-Quit-O
is available across India, including Amarsons in Mumbai and Premsons
in Delhi, and Amazon and eBay. It lasts 50 washes and costs between
Rs. 999 and Rs. 1,999. The sisters are working on a cheaper version
and also a range of mosquito repellent nightwear.
HTBR141130
TO CONTINUE
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