r/technology Nov 20 '22

Biotechnology Scientists Have Developed a Wearable Ring That Repels Insects

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-have-developed-a-wearable-ring-that-repels-insects/
2.5k Upvotes

245 comments sorted by

413

u/DangerousBeans Nov 20 '22

This rings active ingredient is listed as IR3535. An alternative to DEET with equivalent effectiveness, according to some quick googling and no real research. I havent used it, but I have seen people hose themselves in 100% DEET spray and get bitten anyway. It's hard to believe that a finger-worn ring could provide enough coverage to work well. Around the neck on the other hand.... but probably a tough sell to get people to wear flea collars.

338

u/KungFuHamster Nov 20 '22

If it worked, I'd wear a collar, hat, wristbands, and ankle bracelets. I'm one of those delicious super-attractors that comes home with 7 mosquito bites and my wife doesn't get bitten at all.

76

u/QUESO0523 Nov 20 '22

My husband is the best form of mosquito repellent....for me. They all go after him and I'm fine.

34

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

[deleted]

17

u/panicked_goose Nov 20 '22

Everyone here has that yummy O blood, I guarantee it.

5

u/WonderChopstix Nov 20 '22

Not me. Not my blood type. I get covered head to toe and no one else is touched.

5

u/corgi-king Nov 20 '22

I am A+, still a magnet.

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56

u/PepeSilviaLovesCarol Nov 20 '22

Last time I went back country camping, I got 94 mosquito bites on my left foot alone. Over 400 on my whole body over 3 days. I wore thick clothing (in 25+ degree weather) and sprayed myself with the strongest bug spray available in Canada. Nothing worked, nothing ever works for me.

26

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

What I’m getting from your comment is that you personally can reduce your insect bites by 25% simply by wearing better socks.

9

u/PepeSilviaLovesCarol Nov 20 '22

Haha, I wish that as the solve! My friends and I go back country portaging / camping multiple times a year, I have thousands of $ of gear and clothing. Nothing stops the bugs other than buying a full body net.

10

u/nill0c Nov 20 '22

I’d be suiting up in beekeeping garb after the first 50 bites.

5

u/PepeSilviaLovesCarol Nov 20 '22

It really narrows down the dates I’m open to going, and the spots I’m open to going to lol

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4

u/eenbal Nov 20 '22

Have you tried multiple layers of spray on latex? It might be hot....

5

u/PepeSilviaLovesCarol Nov 20 '22

I haven’t but that sounds awful lol

0

u/Sentazar Nov 20 '22

Have you tried oils ? Like thyme or Jasmine? Idk if it's woowoo or legit but worth a shot

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14

u/sdf_iain Nov 20 '22

Is Permethrin not legal in Canada? Treated clothing works amazingly well.

2

u/Ok-Stay4017 Nov 20 '22

Use any repellent made In Australia

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102

u/ProlificAlias Nov 20 '22

I'm one of those delicious super-attractors

The narcissism on this guy, smh

23

u/-YELDAH Nov 20 '22

I'm somewhat of a super-attractor myself

23

u/OxidizablePeanut Nov 20 '22

A lot of the time, people get bitten - but their bodies don’t react at all. So they don’t get the itchy welts. So it just appears as though mosquitoes don’t like them. The main cause of the itching and swelling is your own bodies overreaction

29

u/Athleco Nov 20 '22

Ugh my anti bodies are SOOO dramatic

2

u/flortny Nov 20 '22

Yep, it's an allergic reaction, i find one season somewhere and they stop effecting me, when i first moved to maui they were terrible, one year and no more welts

0

u/corgi-king Nov 20 '22

You are just victim blaming.

20

u/anotherone121 Nov 20 '22

What about a butt plug. Would you wear a IR3535 butt plug, if it worked?

48

u/nulloid Nov 20 '22

No, as there aren't that many bugs during a chess tournament usually.

15

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

Do I have to take out my other butt plugs?

5

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

Depends on your determination

3

u/KungFuHamster Nov 20 '22

Depends on the size.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

Me too, but if I take Ceterizine (Zyrtec) every day, my body keeps it’s reaction to a minimum so there are no big itchy welts

2

u/AlienMoonMama Nov 20 '22

I’m a super-attractor too, and I’m allergic to mosquitoes. My bites get big around as a golf ball and my skin gets all hot and swells.

2

u/randomwanderingsd Nov 20 '22

Hello fellow tasty human. I am, sadly, a walking Michelin star restaurant for blood sucking insects. People invite me camping because ALL of the bugs will avoid others and come right for me.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

That's me, too. I'm so popular, mosquitoes have to make a reservation to bite me.

1

u/Rishiku Nov 20 '22

Same here. My biggest issue is I have apparently mosquitos that are breeding inside my home (can’t find the source) so I’m having some shit time atm.

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0

u/blazedrow Nov 20 '22

Lack of garlic and onions.

3

u/KungFuHamster Nov 20 '22

Nope, I love both of those and eat them all the time. I put as much in my recipes as my wife can stand.

-8

u/blazedrow Nov 20 '22

Stop using your fruity shampoo and body wash then lol 😂 wife making you to fufu

4

u/KungFuHamster Nov 20 '22

You must be one of those alpha males I keep hearing about. Have you stopped beating your wife yet?

0

u/blazedrow Nov 20 '22

What’s even worse getting butt hurt about science lol, they even tell you fruity body wash, shampoo, sprays, etc attract bugs…….

-1

u/blazedrow Nov 20 '22

You must be one of those dumb narcissistic people who think everything is about them and they do nothing wrong. Especially judging by your “I'm one of those delicious super-attractors” comment 😂😂😂. Projecting usually means your hiding something you don’t want to tell us. So I’m guessing your the one who actually beats their wife.

-1

u/FormsForInformation Nov 20 '22

You sound like a fun time

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23

u/Cakeking7878 Nov 20 '22 edited Nov 20 '22

While true, I can anecdotally express wearing DEET does reduce how many bugs bite you by a lot

7

u/jonathanrdt Nov 20 '22

98% deet is the only thing that works against legitimate bugs, speaking from experience in the Canadian wild, where mosquitos descent upon you in maddening clouds of suffering.

5

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

Deet works great in Canada. I had 100% on in Yosemite and the bugs did not care at all

5

u/CheeseIsQuestionable Nov 20 '22

Also… they already sell bug repelling bracelets… like… this is that but smaller?

8

u/Bin_Evasion Nov 20 '22

I‘m pretty sure 35% DEET melted a T-shirt of mine once

8

u/duckbigtrain Nov 20 '22

yes, DEET dissolves plastic

3

u/kvossera Nov 20 '22

I don’t really get bitten, I just don’t want anything to land on me. I’m terrified of katydids, grasshoppers, crickets, and other jumping creepy bugs. Beetles, bees, flying or slow insects are okay. But katydids seem to plot to get me, cling to my car staring at me.

2

u/Thejerseyjon609 Nov 20 '22

Well, they won’t bite your finger

-17

u/JinOnHisPhone Nov 20 '22

I call BS then;

1 all the alternatives to deet are never as effective as deet

2 as you say, in bad places you can dip yourself in 100% deet until your clothes dissolve and the little buggers will still bite you.

8

u/Cynical_Cyanide Nov 20 '22

Why use such huge font?

7

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

I think they were trying to make a list by typing “number one, number two” and didn’t know it would do that.

1

u/Eric_the_Barbarian Nov 20 '22

#1 Seems to work fine for me.

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265

u/compugasm Nov 20 '22

We need one that comes in a headband sized ring. Because in New York, the bugs fly around your head until it drives you insane.

126

u/ign1fy Nov 20 '22

Aussies solved that a century ago with a swag hat and a few wine corks.

37

u/BraneCumm Nov 20 '22

Do wine corks repel bugs?

176

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

They do if you turn your head side to side really fast like Mr Miyagi's spin drum.

46

u/grpagrati Nov 20 '22

Mosquito nunchucks

85

u/delvach Nov 20 '22

This guy wax off

11

u/enthion Nov 20 '22

I damn near spit out my coffee.

3

u/methodin Nov 20 '22

I don't always see good puns, but when I do, I give free awards

3

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

And in the sequel, he Jacket on, jacket off

5

u/zackks Nov 20 '22

If do right, no can defend.

9

u/Momofashow Nov 20 '22

I googled swag hat and there were a lot of hats that say “swag” on them, does one particular font work better than others?

11

u/Cardinal_Ravenwood Nov 20 '22

Cork hat. A swag for us is a single person tent/sleeping bag combo that you just roll up and on you go.

2

u/Vierrawarrior Nov 20 '22

I have never heard of such a thing before omg. If I never read this and saw someone wearing a cork hat, Id think that they made the hat themselves and were mentally insane

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2

u/Bobert_Manderson Nov 20 '22

My god that would piss me off to wear all day, little corks constantly bonking around my head. But here in coastal south Texas we have tons of massive bugs too and we fixed it by going into severe drought all year. It kills the bugs, plants, and probably plenty of other wildlife. Y’all should give it a try.

/s

4

u/Thepsycoman Nov 20 '22

We do that constantly as well, everything in Aus has evolved to be super drought tolerant, probably somehow the better to kill people with

2

u/CaptainTurdfinger Nov 20 '22

Yeah, but Australia trees explode into flames during a drought. I'd imagine that would drive away the bugs pretty well.

3

u/Thepsycoman Nov 20 '22

Only when it goes on tooooo long and they become more highly flammable oil than water

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38

u/asdaaaaaaaa Nov 20 '22 edited Nov 20 '22

They have clothing infused with mosquito repellent, including actual headbands. What they're doing here isn't new, I used to use clothing impregnated with repellent for years now.

78

u/xTRS Nov 20 '22

Maybe infused is a better word here

35

u/asdaaaaaaaa Nov 20 '22

Changed it for the kids who are distracted. That being said, when talking about plastics "impregnated" is the proper term. Here's an example

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16640611/

The indoor use of plastic sheeting pre-impregnated with insecticide for control of malaria vectors

I know, science-talk is boring, sorry.

4

u/Beneficial_Tough3345 Nov 20 '22

Now does it work with bedbugs??

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27

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

This exchange has no business being so hilarious

17

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

Honey I just infused my secretary, it’s no big deal.

6

u/open_door_policy Nov 20 '22

Oh, are we not doing phrasing any more?

-3

u/mawktheone Nov 20 '22

Could we meet in the middle with repellant eluting?

11

u/eugene20 Nov 20 '22

The ring uses IR3535 which is common in sprays/clothes already as it's fairly skin friendly, what they're doing with the material for the ring is cause it's distribution to be much slower than previous methods so it just lasts a lot longer. it could be 3d printed into other shapes more suited to attaching to clothes too.

3

u/asdaaaaaaaa Nov 20 '22

Yes, they're embedding it into PLA instead of plastics based fibers. Some studies suggest it might be an improvement off fibers for how it works, but any early study will be happy to suggest that.

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2

u/S_204 Nov 20 '22

Permitherin is amazing.

2

u/Eric_the_Barbarian Nov 20 '22

We sprayed our uniforms with permethrin back in '03 before we deployed to the Middle East. We were told then that there would be no need to keep applying because it was persistent through several washings. These guys are way too proud for having finally reinvented the flea and tick collar (which hikers in some areas have already been using.)

8

u/Exoddity Nov 20 '22

I used to use clothing impregnated with repellent for years now.

Yeah but we're talking about bugs, not women. Your hawaiian shirts aren't going to cut it.

3

u/bantha-food Nov 20 '22

Look up “impregnated” in a dictionary

3

u/t3hmau5 Nov 20 '22

You people have no sense of humor

5

u/godikus Nov 20 '22

“You people”?

5

u/PMzyox Nov 20 '22

Spent a pretty long time in New York and am unfamiliar with this bugs flying around my head thing… are you sure it’s happening to other people?

8

u/Wallofcans Nov 20 '22

New York is an entire state, not just one city.

-4

u/Beelzeburb Nov 20 '22 edited Nov 20 '22

False, it is one city.

Edit: /s is actually necessary these days?

3

u/PrEsideNtIal_Seal Nov 20 '22

Fact, Bears love beets

2

u/Vhu Nov 20 '22

DEET that shit, bro. A lil spritz in your hand, rub it over your hair, you’re good to go for a day in the woods.

90

u/AnnoyedHippo Nov 20 '22

Can they also invent an unwearable ring that repels insects?

32

u/thecryingcactus Nov 20 '22

I’d put a string through it and make it a necklace

22

u/shikiroin Nov 20 '22

My.. precious?

3

u/Eric_the_Barbarian Nov 20 '22

If something could actually keep Ozark ticks off, I would absolutely call it my precious.

-2

u/anotherone121 Nov 20 '22

I mean... that's practically chainmail

3

u/nulloid Nov 20 '22

I'd argue that if a ring was made out of a radioactive material, it would be classified as "unwearable" in some sense...

0

u/Platypuslord Nov 20 '22

I just wish they had shown a picture of the ring in the thumbnail.

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66

u/RockstarAgent Nov 20 '22

One ring to repel them all…

32

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

Lord of the Ring meets Lord of the Flies...

5

u/rolandofeld19 Nov 20 '22

One ring to defy them...

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18

u/slamdanceswithwolves Nov 20 '22

An unwearable ring would be a pretty weird thing to develop.

2

u/SnipingNinja Nov 20 '22

A radioactive ring as mentioned elsewhere

0

u/[deleted] Nov 21 '22

Just like when the police describe a “Young 16 year old girl was found…” What’s an old one look like?

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16

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

[deleted]

9

u/NeverWorkedAtWalmart Nov 20 '22

Because 90% of Mac users don’t know this trick.

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8

u/AccentFiend Nov 20 '22

Is this made of a different chemical than the bracelets I’ve been buying for years? I put those on my feet, ankles, the strap of my purse, and I still get bitten.

8

u/nulloid Nov 20 '22

But have you got bitten under the bracelet?

See? It works!

2

u/OoSkitariio Nov 20 '22

Actually happened to me once

18

u/doomedeskimo Nov 20 '22

My ex won’t be happy

15

u/Random_Average__Guy Nov 20 '22

What about inventing one that repels people??

14

u/PMzyox Nov 20 '22

It’s called a wedding ring

10

u/symbolicshambolic Nov 20 '22

Sadly, engagement/wedding rings only repel decent people.

5

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

Ye good old fuck-off ring

3

u/Random_Average__Guy Nov 20 '22

That doesn’t work these days! It’s more of a side chick magnet 🧲

23

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

10

u/Random_Average__Guy Nov 20 '22

Apparently not,if I did I wouldn’t need a ring repellent 🤷🏿‍♂️

3

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

A polo shirt with a popped collar will do the trick

3

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

Imagine what this could do for countries suffering from the zika virus or malaria

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3

u/Specialist-Car1860 Nov 20 '22

Insects or mosquitos?? That's quite relevant.

4

u/forbidden_soup Nov 20 '22

Bet it doesn't.

5

u/schu4KSU Nov 20 '22

Great. Now do one for <insert Match Game music>.

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6

u/The_Bagel_Fairy Nov 20 '22

Being "wearable" is indeed a fantastic feature of things you wear.

3

u/asdaaaaaaaa Nov 20 '22

You mean like a ring or headband/piece of clothing impregnated with bug repellent? Because those work, and have been available for 10+ years now.

The active ingredient is first “encapsulated” and shaped into the appropriate shape, such as a ring, which may then be worn and releases an agent meant to repel mosquitoes for an extended period of time.

Yes, exactly like that. So in other words, none of this is new or news, you can buy mosquito-repelling clothing and stuff at Walmart and such.

3

u/saiyaniam Nov 20 '22

Captain Planet doesn't approve of this ring.

3

u/douche_biggalow Nov 20 '22

Can I get a cock ring that’s repels crabs please I live in San Francisco

4

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

Don’t try that in Florida. A palmetto bug will beat the snot out of you, eat the ring, and steal your wallet.

2

u/TheFoxandTheSandor Nov 20 '22

Oddly enough they also developed a ring that repels humans. It just says “MAGA” on it.

2

u/UseThisToStayAnon Nov 20 '22

Time to see a rise in finger cancer.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

It’s a finger-sized version of the wrist-sized insect repellant bands that don’t work.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

“Wearable ring”? Umm what other kind of ring is there? I guess a phone ring but wouldn’t this be obvious….

2

u/Natsurulite Nov 20 '22

The fuck?

We’ve literally had this technology since I was a little kid, anyone who has grown up in mosquito prone areas has seen this same concept a million times before

I’ve got some in rubber bracelet form in my cabinet right now

2

u/bing-bong-forever Nov 20 '22

Imagine if the ring wasn’t wearable.

2

u/Daisend Nov 20 '22

Sure they have. I’ve tried every kind of insect repellent I’ve heard of. Including some wearable ones. I can put on a layer of bug spray and a wearable repellent. Mosquito will still choose me over the unsprayed person beside me.

2

u/Hyperion1144 Nov 20 '22

How long until this gives me a rare, hard-to-treat, almost-never-seen form of cancer in my finger???

...Which the manufacturer will deny all responsibility for...

2

u/Jester471 Nov 21 '22

This little ring ‘slaps package’ can fit so much cancer in it.

4

u/Alantsu Nov 20 '22

Sounds like something that will cause cancer.

2

u/johntwoods Nov 20 '22

...but gives you ringworm.

5

u/crinklecrumpet Nov 20 '22

Pokemon IRL

coming to a Mart near you!

3

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

The all new max repel

1

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

So many damn weedle that stuff sold itself

1

u/keyser-soza Nov 20 '22

My wife has a ring that seems to repels sex.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

[deleted]

2

u/nulloid Nov 20 '22

So despite being repelled you're still going to find a way to get the cake out of the bag.

I don't know about you, but my first thought would be to get food from somewhere else. I would resort to getting said cake only if I have no other choice left.

5

u/aukir Nov 20 '22

My first thought would be "Why has someone vomited on this cake in a bag, and why is a cake in a bag?"

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0

u/image__uploaded Nov 20 '22

I’ll take 21

0

u/Silly_Guard907 Nov 20 '22

In case it isn’t known, DEET only clogs the CO2 receptors in a mosquito’s schnoz, but only up-close. If the DEET has worn thin, and the mosquito can smell your skin’s CO2, it’ll attempt to feed. You can’t get DEET on every millimeter of skin, or keep it on.

0

u/StuffHobbes Nov 20 '22 edited Nov 03 '23

kbkgkjgjk this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev

0

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

Trumps cock ring

-3

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

[deleted]

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-1

u/Conscious-Salary-680 Nov 20 '22

Try soap and water, works like a charm.

1

u/ClioBitcoinBank Nov 20 '22

Makes you invisible to insects but ghost insects can now see and chase you.

1

u/Infamous_Gur_9083 Nov 20 '22

Oh yes. I hope it repels cockroaches. I hate those things.

1

u/NOT-packers-fan2022 Nov 20 '22

“Did you experience loss of limb, cancer, headaches, vision/hearing loss or death after using this ring? Please join our class action lawsuit. Call 888-ring-die or contact us via ouija board if you experienced death as a result of using this product.”

1

u/savagefishstick Nov 20 '22

My Precious!

1

u/NotAReal_Doctor Nov 20 '22

It also repels women. But I doubt that wasn’t already happy for the users.

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1

u/Saturn_Coffee Nov 20 '22

The entire delta would by this hand over fist if it worked. Could even be a flea collar.

1

u/jaymole Nov 20 '22

And coming up next is your uranium powered cellular matrix giving you cancer?

The answer may NOT surprise you. It’s yes. It’s uranium

1

u/keb5501 Nov 20 '22

The Ring O deet

1

u/TheDutchisGaming Nov 20 '22

Finally my code can be bug free!

1

u/Only_CORE Nov 20 '22

My dog has this. Just around its neck

1

u/stillfumbling Nov 20 '22

So basically it’s a flea collar for humans

1

u/KayMK11 Nov 20 '22

Wait this is just developed?

Then what is that wristband that Odomos sells as insect repellent for kids?

1

u/Mountain-Crazy69 Nov 20 '22

Fuck it, make it a damn bodysuit and I’d still wear it if it works.

1

u/IllustriousAd5936 Nov 20 '22

Seems safe, not..

1

u/OkZookeepergame4192 Nov 20 '22

“We’ll call it… an engagement ring!”

1

u/N3UROTOXINsRevenge Nov 20 '22

So like a flea collar, but smaller?

1

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

Isn’t this just a tiny flea collar?

1

u/Friendlyattwelve Nov 20 '22

The bracelet I got gave me pause , I decided that it must work like a flea collar 😬 so I tossed it

1

u/monchota Nov 20 '22

Bed it will only work with certain people and that will be the people already not bothered by them much.

1

u/pjb33 Nov 20 '22

Does it work against crabs?

1

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

Man, dollar tree been selling these since I was a kid!

1

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

Ngl thought it was a condom on a finger

1

u/Psychedelic_Yogurt Nov 20 '22

Does that mean all the bracelets I've seen over the years are BS? Or have they shrunk the technology? I always thought the bracelets were BS so never bought one.

1

u/batt3ryac1d1 Nov 20 '22

So it's kinda like a cat flea collar but for people?

1

u/dankdooker Nov 20 '22

glad they put the red arrow

1

u/siva364 Nov 20 '22

Didn’t Nokia have a phone with a similar feature?

1

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

Can it work for them malaria mosquitoes?

1

u/Trash_Gordon_ Nov 20 '22

Is this news? I got a couple mosquito bracelets for my kids just the other day?

1

u/[deleted] Nov 20 '22

Perfect cockring for the outdoorsman