Develop core technology to detect ectoparasites that impact humans and animals, and embed the technology in novel products to disrupt current antiquated detection methods
About
Bed bugs, lice and ticks are a global health and societal issue Early detection is critical to mitigate impact but efforts are failing Early detection reduces direct/indirect economic impact and level of disease transmission Detection and control methods are not working well Rise in bed bug infestations described as epidemic US 300k+ annual cases of Lyme disease (cost of $3.6b) US spends $9b+ annually on prevention and control Billions more incurred on indirect costs such as damaged furniture, lost income, hotel reputational impact, etc. Developing early detecting electronic sniffer Detect parasites by “sniffing” their chemical footprint Multiple market segments Commercial bed bug detection (hotels, hospitals, etc.) Residential bed bug detection Pet and human recreation (ticks)
Key Benefits
Machine learning algorithm will recognize the chemical fingerprint of each parasite
Applications
Tick detecting dog Comb Fixed sensor for bed bugs or ticks detection Lice hat that is easy to use