By Azman Zakaria
Photos by Noor Azreen Awang
SERDANG, 12 Feb - Not only it chases mosquitoes away, HEMOR (Sustainable Herbal Mosquito Lamp Repellent), a device invented by a team of researchers from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), is also a form of ornament which can inject interesting and exciting elements into a house.
The aroma that it releases is refreshing to humans but is unpleasant to mosquitoes and some other flying insects, thus keeping these insects at bay.
Dr Ruhaizin Sulaiman, a senior lecturer from the Industrial Design Department of the Faculty of Design and Architecture at UPM who led the innovative project said that HEMOR is devised to repel mosquitoes through the use of herbal scent and yellow light.
A hot plate is used to heat up a formulation containing herbal ingredients including lemongrass and lime peel which will then release a scent which is unappealing to mosquitoes.
Simultaneously, a small-sized yellow fluorescent light installed in the middle of HEMOR will produce an array of beautiful light that is emitted through a number holes of varied sizes which are perforated on its wall structure. This acts as a repellent against mosquitoes because the insect detests the colour of the emitted light.
According to Dr Ruhaizin, during the study, the device which runs on electricity was switched on during peak mosquito times which are from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., and from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. The results of the study found that mosquitoes did not enter the house in which HEMOR was used.
He added that the dried lemongrass or lime peels placed on the hot plate will release an aroma once it is heated up. A thermostat is used to control the temperature of the hot plate.
HEMOR is cylindrical in shape, and acrylic is its main substance. Its body is perforated all over in order to emit light. A 20 watt yellow fluorescent light is placed in the middle of its body while two pieces of acrylic plats are installed at the bottom as the base, and on the top as the cover.
Mosquitoes which are within a radius of 20 to 30 feet will be affected once the device is switched on.
With its height of 800 mm, width of 380mm and contemporary design, HEMOR is not just an innovation to deter mosquitoes, but it is also a form of ornament that perfectly fits the living room of any traditional- or modern-style house.
HEMOR was awarded the bronze medal at the Research and Innovation Design Exhibition (PRPI) UPM 2012, and has been registered with the Industrial Design Registrar. - UPM
