This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on January 4, 2016.

KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Malaya (UM) researchers have developed a street light which emits “human scent” to lure mosquitoes away from people. The latest invention to combat dengue is an Eco-Greenergy outdoor lighting system, created by UM’s Department of Mechanical Engineering associate professor Dr Chong Wen Tong.

Eight devices, consisting of LED lights which produce low levels of carbon dioxide, have been installed in the UM campus and around Kuala Lumpur under a pilot project, reported The Guardian.

The British daily quoted Chong as saying it was designed to run on electricity, and could be powered by wind and solar energy sources.

It is also able to function in flood-hit zones, with its electrical wiring and controller battery located at the top of the lamp pole.

“The mosquito trap takes advantage of the mosquito’s sensory abilities by tricking them with features that mimic the odours associated with humans.

“For remote areas with no access to the electrical grid, this system can serve as a stand-alone, self-sustained renewable energy source to supply basic electricity needs.

“It is scalable to match energy demand,” he was quoted as saying.

Mosquitoes are sucked in by a fan and fall into a capture net.

He said in urban areas, where the device could be powered by main power lines, initial setting up involves trenching, cabling, landscape-rebuilding works which are costly, but maintenance is later minimised because of the relatively low price of electricity in Malaysia.

Up to November 2015, Kuala Lumpur recorded 32 deaths from dengue. The city also recorded 6,726 cases for the year until November. — The Malaysian Insider