Say goodbye to mosquito bites in summer. A start-up has invented a voice-controllable repellent system using Google and Amazon assistants.
In summer, or more generally in humid areas, mosquitoes quickly become the scourge of your evenings outdoors. To escape it, it is always possible to bet on citronella candles, long sleeves, or insecticides. For its part, the American start-up Thermacell is instead relying on an anti-mosquito system capable of creating a protective zone around you, like an invisible mosquito net to keep insects away.
Liv Smart, an intelligent repellent
Present on the market for almost twenty years, Thermacell launched this week its new intelligent protection system called Liv-Smart. According to the brand, this is the first connected mosquito repellent intended for home use. Until now, the firm had focused on portable and hand-operated devices. This time, it is taking a new step by integrating a smartphone application and voice commands into its devices to make them compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
With an offer starting at $699 for a kit of three repellents capable of covering an area of approximately 87 m², the Liv-Smart system is also available in packs of four repellents (for 120 m²) sold for $799 and five (for 150 m²) at $899. Composed of 5.5% metofluthrin, a synthetic molecule approved by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the system works by heating a cartridge of repellent liquid, to diffuse an odorless and invisible cloud.
However, the effect is not permanent. From your smartphone, it is necessary to create time slots to trigger the device, which can be activated remotely via a Wi-Fi connection. Once the connection is established, it is then possible to control the devices by voice, the way of any connected device.
If for the moment, the device only makes it possible to keep away the most harmless species of mosquitoes, it could subsequently be used in less welcoming regions.
