Computer numerical control knitting of high-resolution mosquito bite blocking textiles

Bryan Holt; Kyle Oswalt; Alexa England; Richard Murphy; Isabella Owens; Micaela Finney; Natalie Wong; Sushil Adhikari; James McCann; John Beckmann

doi:10.1038/s44172-024-00268-3

Computer numerical control knitting of high-resolution mosquito bite blocking textiles

Commun Eng. 2024 Aug 27;3(1):119. doi: 10.1038/s44172-024-00268-3.

Authors

Bryan Holt^#^{1

2}, Kyle Oswalt^#¹, Alexa England^{1

2}, Richard Murphy¹, Isabella Owens¹, Micaela Finney¹, Natalie Wong¹, Sushil Adhikari², James McCann³, John Beckmann⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
² Department of Biosystems Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
³ Department of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
⁴ Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA. beckmann@auburn.edu.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Mosquitoes and other biting arthropods transmit diseases worldwide, causing over 700,000 deaths each year, and costing about 3 billion USD annually for Aedes species alone. Insect vectored diseases also pose a considerable threat to agricultural animals. While clothing could provide a simple solution to vector-borne diseases, modern textiles do not effectively block mosquito bites. Here we have designed three micro-resolution knitted structures, with five adjustable parameters that can block mosquito bites. These designs, which exhibit significant bite reduction were integrated into a computer numerical control knitting robot for mass production of bite-blocking garments with minimal human labor. We then quantified the comfort of blocking garments. Our knits enable individuals to protect themselves from insects amidst their day-to-day activities without impacting the environment.