While promising vaccines and genetically-engineered mosquitoes are providing hope in the fight against malaria, it currently remains a major and potentially life-threatening problem in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. These regions are also hot and sticky, making LG's introduction of an air conditioner that it claims actively repels mosquitoes as it keeps the house cool a seemingly obvious blending of technologies.
The “Anti-Mosquito” air conditioner repels mosquitoes using ultrasonic wave technology. Pressing the “anti-mosquito button” on the unit’s remote control will see a speaker within the air conditioner generate inaudible ultrasonic waves at a frequency of 30 kHz to 100 kHz.
According to LG, in tests conducted in a World Health Organization (WHO) standard 1.9 m3 Peet-Grady Chamber, the air conditioner knocked down 64 percent of malaria-transmitting female Anopheles mosquitoes within 24 hours, and eliminated 82 percent of female Anopheles mosquitoes overall.
Tailored for the African market, the air conditioner is fitted with LG’s Tropical Compressor that is designed to operate in hotter climates. Recognizing that electricity supplies in this part of the world aren’t always reliable, LG has also fitted the unit with a Super Automatic Voltage Switcher (Super AVS) that helps protect the compressor against damage from current fluctuations in the event of power blackouts or surges.
It also has the ability to operate at lower voltages in lower temperatures and features LG’s Plasmaster air filtering technology that is designed to remove harmful substances and bacteria from the air.
The below commercial for the Anti-Mosquito Air Conditioner doesn’t provide any real insight into the technology behind the air conditioner, but we thought it entertaining enough to include here.
There’s currently no word on pricing, but it appears LG’s "Anti-Mosquito" air conditioner is available in West African countries now.
