Inventor Creates High-Voltage Suit to Fight Mosquitoes Head-On

Mosquitoes turn pleasant summer nights into itchy ordeals for anyone spending time outdoors. One inventor refused to accept the usual sprays, candles, and frantic swatting as the only options. Instead he created a full-body electric grid that delivers a direct shock to any insect that gets too close. Russian maker Dani Cruster, who runs the DiWHY YouTube channel, drew inspiration from ordinary bug zappers. Those devices use two layers of mesh or grid with high voltage running between them. When a mosquito flies into the space, it completes the circuit and ends its life with a sharp crack. Cruster simply asked what would happen if someone wore that same grid.

He began with heavy-duty construction mesh, which is commonly used on construction sites. The metal netting turned out to be two electrode layers. Use a centimeter-thick PVC foam board to build the frames that hold the mesh in place. A heat gun, similar to the one used to warm up paint or drywall during a renovation, is used to soften the plastic, allowing it to be twisted into curved panels that fit around the torso, arms, and legs. The finished design resembles a jumble of old Roman armor cobbled together from materials available at any hardware store.

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To deliver the electricity, he used six miniature high-voltage converters made from inexpensive shock guns found in markets. Each is powered by two regular 1.5 volt alkaline batteries and can produce an output of around 10,000 volts. Each module’s wires link to the panel’s inner and outer meshes. The builder meticulously checked all of the connections before placing the modules directly into the PVC frame. The distance between mesh layers is far more significant than anything else. High voltage can jump through the air, and the builder had worked out that a whole centimeter of space would keep sparks from reaching the person inside the suit. If it’s too small, you risk burning a hair or giving the wearer a painful shock. As long as the spacing is just right, the electricity will remain between the layers and zap any insects that pass through.

Things became a little more tricky when he decided he wanted to create an entire suit. He had to measure and cut eighteen individual pieces of PVC, heat and shape each one separately, and then stretch mesh across both sides of the frames. The inner mesh layers are all electrically linked, therefore electricity cannot easily reach the skin. Six units are connected in parallel to power the whole costume. The battery packs will last for approximately an hour before needing to be replaced with new cells.

When testing the suit, he began with only one arm panel. Testers felt a small tickle and saw hairs stand up on their arms, but the gap prevented any serious shocks. Throughout the live tests, the builder donned dielectric gloves and goggles. He made it a point to underline how dangerous high voltage is and how you should never try to reproduce it unless you have been properly warned about the dangers.

The real trial was a facility in the deep forests outside Tarkov in Russia’s Tver Oblast, an area infamous for swarms of mosquitoes and ticks. When the user of the expensive outfit stepped out into the thick of it all, flipped on the modules, and started making their way through the woods, as the results were rather swift. Any insects that came into contact with the mesh screen simply did not survive.
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