Unlike typical combs, this one contains a high-voltage electrical current that runs through its teeth. The tips of the teeth act as electrodes and deliver short bursts of energy to the surrounding air, so that when the current is running through the teeth, the electrodes break apart nearby air molecules and turn them from a gas to plasma. The electricity makes the molecules high-energy, which is enough to kill hardy lice, but it doesn’t raise the temperature, which makes it safe for human use. The researchers have done extensive safety testing, according to the press release, and found that the comb can get rid of lice within a day after a single treatment. This isn’t the first comb that claims to zap lice to death, but it’s the first one that might actually work. The researchers have started distributing the comb to nearby pediatric offices, which is a good place to start since most infestations happen in children. But the researchers anticipate that their electric comb could be useful to get rid of infestations in house pets and also in developing countries where lice and similar parasites can rapidly spread disease pets. They plan to start producing it in small batches and marketing it as a cosmetic product sometime in the near future.
