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,
My sister actually got a pretty bad staph infection from itching a mosquito bite. She was in a lot of pain and could barely walk. It took her a couple weeks to heal with heavy antibiotics.
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.