Judge's comments:

Is it really a mouse trap? The judges praised the sophisticated approach to solving an unappealing problem, successfully addressing safety and usability concerns with a consumer-friendly aesthetic. The design effectively tackles issues related to resetting and disposal, presenting a refined and practical solution.

Description:

Every single mouse trap and poison in the market is an equally awful experience for the mouse and the user. Too scary and unsafe to use around pets and kids, too messy and smelly to use in most rooms in the house, and too cruel to the mouse. Mouse traps and toxins turn a stressful moment - having a mouse in the house - into an anxiety inducing experience rather than an empathetic one.

Our Mouse Trap is designed to be a calm confident friend that empowers the user in a stressful situation. No snapped fingers - it resets itself. No mouldy peanut butter - it comes with two irresistible long-life PB&J donuts. No messes or suffering - the A-Class Humane sensors and striker work together to kill mice safely, swiftly and cleanly. No maintenance - it sends your phone strike, refill and recharge notifications. No throwaway crap - just one clever mouse killer.

But for us it’s not just about making a Mouse Trap that’s better for people and mice. We’re on a mission to rewild the world, and while it’s tempting to think of homes, backyards, farms and forests as disconnected, mice show us they’re one interconnected system. Mice retreat indoors during the colder winter months, but in summer they’ll head outside to feast on backyard biodiversity. And when we fill them with toxins they move up through the food chain in our backyards, forests and farms - harming a whole bunch of nature along the way. Every mouse killed in a home by our new mouse trap equals toxins kept out of the food chain, backyard biodiversity left to thrive, and a wilder world.

We spent over 3 years researching, developing, prototyping, and carrying out usability testing of the user experience, design and performance of this mouse trap. Resulting in a mouse trap that places the user at the heart of the experience. Empathising with the homeowners that have a mouse problem from the conception resulted in a mouse trap that can outlast mice and whatever the home throws at it for ten years. The mouse trap is self-resetting, is capable of multiple kills and will notify users when they need to empty their trap. We specially designed a long-life lure that remains effective for up to 3-months, at the end of the 3-months a notification is sent to remind people to refresh it. The smart Bluetooth connection allows us to ensure users are prompted only when action is required to make sure they have heaps of success, with minimal maintenance.

Rapid urbanisation and climate change will only increase mouse populations in homes around the world. Without a truly innovative and desirable alternative, the world will reach for more toxins and throwaway traps every year. Our hope is this Mouse Trap won’t just significantly reduce urban mouse populations - it’ll also reduce global use of toxins and disposable traps, minimise landfill waste and prevent toxins from entering the food chain.