Amateur scientist designs Rs. 1,000 mosquito net with portable, inflatable frame

An amateur scientist has designed a mosquito net that can double up as a bed sheet. The product is expected to be priced at Rs 1,000. M.C. David, 60, has fetched his third patent in as many years and the latest one he got is for the portable mosquito net with inflatable support system. “I have got the Indian patent just now. Talks have started with a few people to take this into mass production. I am confident that this product, which can be rolled up like a bed sheet and weighs around a kg, can be sold for as low as Rs 1,000,” David told IANS. The mosquito net is devoid of any metal or sharp edges and is capable of being assembled or disassembled quickly, he said. David said this product consists of a mosquito net and two inflatable supports that can hold the net in position to cover the person lying on the cot or the floor. “The inflatable tube is arch shaped which is erected on a base and can be filled with water. The tubes on the side have to be filled with air by mouth or using a small pump. The base filled with water forms the support system for the mosquito net. The size of the net can be increased or decreased depending upon the need,” he said. And to pack up the equipment, all one needs is to drain the water out and deflate the tube which can be rolled up like a bed sheet. David, who returned after a long stint in the Middle East, was in the news first when he got a US patent in 2013 for generation of electricity from gravitational energy. “This has been tested a few times and I am fine-tuning it for taking it to its logical conclusion of production. The other product that I have got patent for is an emergency escape system for high rise buildings with a mechanism to regulate the speed of descent,” said David. “Two teams from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) have come and have asked for a full display. I have applied to the state government to provide me funds to set up one at an engineering college,” he added. IANS