A 12-year-old boy has
invented a robot that may put an end to the suffering caused by one of
the worst creatures known to man: the mosquito.
David Cohen of Dallas is
one of the 10 finalists of the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist
Challenge, thanks to his potentially world-changing invention, submitted
earlier this year.
The robot uses a system of
super-powered pumps and mesh to trap mosquitoes underwater,HuffPost
reports, therefore killing them and preventing the spread of diseases
like malaria and West Nile virus.
David says he was inspired for the project after his sister had an unfortunate experience with a mosquito bite.
He told the Huffington Post via email,
Winning the competition
would grant David $ 25,000, a free vacation and, most importantly, the
prestigious title of “America’s Top Young Scientist.”
The contestants, all of
whom must be in grades five through eight when they submit their work,
will put their projects on display in St. Paul, MN, on Oct. 13 and 14.
Each finalist is assigned a
mentor, and David’s is Delony Langer-Anderson, a 3M advanced new
product development specialist in the Consumer Health Care Division.
She told HuffPost that she is amazed by the tenacity and passion David has for understanding mosquitoes.
Langer-Anderson said,
David looked at the problem of mosquito-borne illnesses in a different way. He asked, ‘What if the mosquito was never born?’As he’s worked through prototypes and ideas, he’s never lost sight of the idea that if he can stop the mosquito from emerging from the larvae stage, he can prevent them from spreading diseases.
Malaria kills 627,000 people a year, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Langer-Anderson added that it’s people like David, now a freshman in high school, who have the potential to change the future.
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