In India, diseases spread by mosquitoes, like dengue, malaria, and chikungunya, affect millions every year. The Ministry of Health reports that outbreaks hit nearly every state during the monsoon, particularly in bustling cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Gurgaon.
Our team set out to tackle this issue right at its source — stagnant water, the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. We aimed to create an eco-friendly, budget-friendly, and scalable solution that stops mosquito breeding instead of merely keeping adult mosquitoes at bay.
By merging biotechnology with digital tools, we sought to empower communities to take proactive steps against diseases carried by vectors.
What it does: MosquiPods are small biodegradable capsules, about 4–5 cm in size, that gradually release a natural larvicide — Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) — into stagnant water.
Each pod lasts between 30 and 45 days, effectively eliminating mosquito larvae while being safe for fish, plants, and other organisms. The shell is crafted from thermoplastic starch (TPS), ensuring it breaks down naturally without leaving harmful chemical residues.
To enhance our impact, we created a companion website that offers:
- Crowdsourced reporting: Citizens can identify stagnant water spots using a user-friendly map-based geotagging system.
- Smart deployment tracking: Municipalities, NGOs, and housing societies can log where they place MosquiPods and monitor the outcomes.
- Data visualization: Heat maps highlight areas at risk for mosquitoes, helping authorities plan targeted interventions. Together, the physical product and the digital platform create a scalable ecosystem for public health innovation.
🧪 The Prototype (Hardware) | Shown in Video
We crafted a thermoplastic starch shell using a mix of cornstarch, glycerol, and water, heating it up to 70–80°C to create a moldable biopolymer.
Next, we prepared sodium alginate–Bti beads by carefully dripping alginate slurry into a calcium chloride bath, which formed microcapsules that allow the bacteria to diffuse slowly.
To keep things buoyant and control water inflow, we added biochar and fine sand as ballast and diffusion moderators.
We put the pod through its paces, testing its strength, biodegradation, and release duration under conditions that mimic stagnant water.
💻 The Platform (Software)
We built a responsive website using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, with Firebase handling our hosting and database needs.
We integrated the Google Maps API so users can report mosquito breeding sites in real-time.
A simple dashboard was created to track deployment density and visualize hotspots reported by the community.
We designed the interface to be user-friendly and mobile-compatible, encouraging everyone to get involved.
Built With
- google-maps
- javascript
- nextjs
- v0
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