Just in time for the summer bug season comes this news about a patch you may one day wear to shield your identity – from mosquitoes! The Kite Patch was developed by Olfactor Laboratories, and works like DEET — blocking mosquitoes’ carbon dioxide receptors. Researchers say the chemicals used are so safe they are considered “food grade flavors” by the Food and Drug Administration.
Mosquito defense may have a new secret weapon.It looks like a nicotine patch, but the little diamond-shaped Kite Patch is laced with a very special sauce that its developers claim can protect whomever wears it from mosquito bites for up to 48 hours.
For many, mosquitoes are merely annoying, but in many parts of the world they spread malaria, a deadly disease that is far more dangerous than many health authorities had previously guessed.
The average mosquito has long-range sensors that can sense the carbon dioxide humans emit through their breath from up to a half-mile away. The mosquito’s sensing organ, the maxillary palp, contains a neuron called the cpA neuron that pings the mosquito’s brain when it senses CO2.
The active ingredient and most effective commercially available mosquito repellent is DEET, which works by confusing these
Via Olfactor Laboratory
sensors. But some research suggests it can be toxic, especially to children. It is also a bit too expensive for everyday use, especially in the poorer countries stricken with mosquito-borne diseases. Oh yeah, and it melts plastic. Yikes.
I am thrilled to see that TECHCRUNCH.COM is featuring the innovative company of my friend and partner Zach Kaplan. Zach’s Chicago-based company, Inventables, inspires thousands of designers in their companies (such as Proctor & Gamble, Motorola, and Black & Decker), to be innovative. Check out the artlicle here! So what is Inventables and why are…
I recently returned from our first Food & Beverage 2011: Sustainable Innovation Summit last week in Chicago, where some of the top innovation leaders from small and large global food giants (Kraft, General Mills, Heinz, Smuckers and many others), gathered to talk about innovation. We learned from each other how to better create a user…
One of the most exciting opportunity areas for targeted innovation is in the display of digital information. The information-rich world of the film Minority Report is becoming closer to reality each day, with some practical twists. Today’s Wall Street Journal reports that Intel and Microsoft are teaming up to provide smart digital displays in retail…
“The Internet is supposed to be all about freedom and choice—yet here comes Steve Jobs with an Internet that is a completely closed system. Apple not only sells you the device, but also operates the only store on the planet that sells software for it.” —Newsweek For all its coolness, the iPad is making for…
Perkins contributed an excerpt titled, “Future of Innovation… Personal Passion and Strategic Collaboration” in The Future of Innovation, edited by Bettina von Stamm and Anna Trifilova. Read her contribution here.
I am excited to launch a new partnership for Innovationedge: Inforum is a way to bring together thought leaders from all across northeast Wisconsin to collaborate on innovative ideas. For Inforum, we teamed up with Insight on Business Magazine, and one look at this cutting-edge online publication and you’ll see why Insight is an excellent…
