Mangaluru: In an act, seemingly pulled straight out of the “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” vault, Ignatius Orwin Noronha, a resident of Mangaluru, has collected millions of dead mosquitoes in a plastic container! Yes, this was possible for the 55-year-old, through his invention of the device “MozziQuit.”
Orwin Noronha, Managing Director of Leowin Solutions Pvt Ltd, who came to the city two decades ago from the UAE, spent 18 years of his life developing this device in a bid to end the mosquito menace.
Orwin Noronha explained that the MozziQuit is a mosquito-killing device which traps or attracts mosquitoes using organic food-grade proprietary additives in its casing component in combination with light. It attracts the mosquitoes towards the device because of the temperature generated by the device which is equivalent to that of the human body or blood vessel’s temperature. When the mosquitoes come closer to the device, a vacuum will suck the mosquitoes inside, making them pass through a perforated hole (killing zone). The dead mosquitoes will be stored in a removable collection chamber which is at the base of the device.
Ignatius Orwin Norohna speaking to Newskarnataka said, “MozziQuit has organic food-grade proprietary additives added to the device and does not use chemical repellents. The operating cost of this electronic device will be very feasible. People can use this device in their homes, farms, poultry and cowshed. It is totally chemical-free and environment-friendly.”
This device has been validated by the Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University through research and practicals and the National Institute of Malaria Research has certified that the device can reduce the total mosquito population and the diseases transmitted by them. Orwin also obtained a patent for the device and has registered 12 models of the MozziQuit but only three of these models are available in the market.
Awards
For his invention of the “MozziQuit”, Orwin Norohna has won the Millennium Alliance Round 4 Awards with a Rs 15 Lakh grant on 20 July 2017 in New Delhi. This award was conferred on him by Dr. Harshvardhan, Union Minister of Ministry of Science & Technology.
“MozziQuit” also won the prestigious Gold Medal Award at the DST- Lockheed Martin India Innovation Competition on 20 May 2010 evaluated by the University of Austin Texas.
“MozziQuit” was also selected as a Medical Device Made for the Prevention of Diseases and was displayed at the Festival of Innovations in 2016 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on 16 March 2016 organised jointly by the Indian Council of Medical Research and National Innovation Foundation.
MozziQuit also won the ISA Best Electronic Product of the year 2010, under the Healthcare Category, the Spandana Innovation Business Award in 2016 and Small Entreprenurship Startup Business Award in 2016.
