An Xfinity Home survey found that as many as 30% of Americans have had a package stolen or go missing, according to a recent CNBC report. The FBI has no national statistic on the issue and local authorities are slow to respond, if ever. That’s where former NASA engineer Mark Rober and his glitter bomb comes into play.
Rober, who worked for NASA for nine years as an engineer on projects like the Curiosity Rover, felt helpless after being told by cops they couldn’t help him after a package was stolen from his front porch. So, the engineer went to the drawing board. “If anyone was going to make a revenge package and over-engineer the crap out of it, it was going to be me,” Rober explained in a video uploaded to YouTube.
In the video, Rober reveals how the booby trap was designed and manufactured – including lots of 3D printing, cad work, and glitter. The device was equipped with a cup of glitter, four LG phones, a GPS-connected circuit board, and a repellant.
Rober even had fun creating the address label for the fake package. “If the thief wasn’t in such a hurry they’d see that the package is actually coming from my childhood hero and the inspiration for this project,” he joked. The hero? Kevin McCallister from Home Alone.
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