Powered by solar and wind energy, smart streetlights at a university in
Malaysia can kill mosquitoes, charge mobile phones, send out flood
warnings and are capable of working off the grid in rural areas.
Researchers at the University of Malaya who have designed the
streetlight aim to replace all conventional streetlights with this
eco-friendly and smart streetlight in the region.
The streetlight
includes a box that attracts mosquitoes by trying to smell like a human
by combining UV light and titanium dioxide and little CO2, which is as
irresistible as human breath. As soon as the insect flies closer to
investigate, a fan sucks it in and kills it
During
floods, the streetlight can measure the height of the floodwater and
also send reports and warnings via an antenna atop it.
The streetlight
has all the electronics at its top and the bottom is waterproof, which
makes it possible to work even in flood situations.
In case of a power cut in the area, residents could also plug in their smartphone or rechargeable batteries to stay connected.
Eight such streetlights have been already installed at the University of
Malaya campus in a pilot project and the researchers are all geared up
to commercialise it.
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