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A Patch Designed To Make You Invisible To Mosquitoes

Researchers have come up with an innovative patch to help you win the war against mosquitoes.
AP
Researchers have come up with an innovative patch to help you win the war against mosquitoes.

In our "Weekly Innovation" blog series, we explore an interesting idea, design or product that you may not have heard of yet. Previously we've featuredthe sink-urinaland a better travel neck pillow.(Do you have an innovation to share?Use this quick form.)

The makers of the Kite Patch plan to test the product in Uganda before getting U.S. approval.
/ Courtesy of Kite Patch
/
Courtesy of Kite Patch
The makers of the Kite Patch plan to test the product in Uganda before getting U.S. approval.

A small, square patch that's not yet available in the U.S. is promising to work as a force field against pesky mosquitoes. It's called , and it's a sticker that emits chemical compounds that essentially make you invisible to the bloodsuckers — they block a mosquito's ability to sense humans.

If this is as effective as promised, the Kite Patch could be a game changer in preventing mosquito-borne illnesses like malaria and West Nile virus. It's been developed by a venture capital group called ieCrowd and scientists at Olfactor Laboratories, a research facility in California. Wired notes:

"According to its developers, users simply have to place the patch onto their clothes, and they become invisible to mosquitoes for up to 48 hours. This is big news for developing countries like Uganda, where residents have little beyond mosquito nets and toxic sprays to combat the illness-spreading insects."

The scientists behind the patch are raising money on Indiegogo to do rapid field testing in parts of the world that are more affected by mosquito-borne illnesses. The campaign has already blown way past its original goal, but for $10, you can provide a five-pack of Kite patches to a family in Uganda. For $85, you can send a 100-day supply and get some for yourself. The American backers will be the first to receive Kite patches after the company gains regulatory approval.

"It's a really unique way of doing product development," ieCrowd's Grey Frandsen told Wired. "This technology is too important to just funnel directly to the Walgreens. It needs to be part and parcel of people's daily lives all over the world."

Not everyone finds these disease-spreading irritants so annoying. As our sister blog The Two-Way reported last month, mosquitoes have a type: They prefer heavy breathers "with Type O blood, sporting a red shirt and more than a smattering of skin bacteria. Preferably either pregnant or holding a beer."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Elise Hu is a host-at-large based at NPR West in Culver City, Calif. Previously, she explored the future with her video series, Future You with Elise Hu, and served as the founding bureau chief and International Correspondent for NPR's Seoul office. She was based in Seoul for nearly four years, responsible for the network's coverage of both Koreas and Japan, and filed from a dozen countries across Asia.