Prime Cuts: I think I smell a rat…

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I’m not fond of rodents.

Frankly I still hold a grudge about the Black Death (the fluffy little bastards), so when I spotted the RADAR from Rentokill I figured it was time to go to war with Mickey & co.

Designed by Greaves Best Design, RADAR (Rodent Activated Detection And Riddance) is a discreet, humane and innovative solution to mouse control for high risk market segments, where the presence of a single mouse cannot be tolerated [ie. my flat].

Now for the gas chamber…

– The trap has two entrances, one at each end of the unit, allowing mice to run through its passageway

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– If the mouse breaks two consecutive infrared beams it trips a circuit that immediately closes both entrances

– Once the mouse is trapped inside the tightly sealed chamber, the carbon dioxide gas is released. The gas acts extremely rapidly and is widely recognised as a humane method of control

– There is no danger of contamination as the mouse remains completely isolated. A warning light immediately illuminates to indicate capture

– A self-contained unit, it can be safely and discreetly removed by a Rentokill operative, and can even be used in conjunction with Rentokil’s monitoring and reporting system that can send a wireless signal that activates an email straight to the operatives

– The idea was based around using readily available carbon dioxide canisters, with the challenge being to create a means of sensing and activating the gas in a sufficiently sealed chamber at 90 per cent concentration for three and-a-half minutes

– SolidWorks was used by Greaves Best for the design modelling, taking the initial concepts sketches into 3D

– SLS prototypes were built on an EOS Quantum 750 to allow for testing of the casing, its internals and seals

– The most difficult bit to get around was the sensitivity of the trap – ensuring only mice activate the trap and not spiders, and getting the timing for sensing rodent presence, sealing the chamber and emitting the gas


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