Tripwire Your Space

Those who know me well are quite aware that I am a very particular person. At home, my closet is organized by color and type of clothing, and for the dresser, I fold all the t-shirts and underwear into neat little squares. At work, my desk is always in perfect order, as files are neatly arranged (each labeled with a label maker, never handwritten) and I daily leave the office with a spotless desk. If someone borrows my stapler, a pen or just sits in my chair, I know it right away. I will especially notice if there’s even one Hershey’s Kiss missing from my candy bowl.

For those of you not as meticulous as I am, there’s a product called Lazer Tripwire that will help protect your cubicle, the kitchen or anything else you are trying to guard. Despite its name, it does not actually use lasers, but invisible beams of infrared (IR) light. You can clamp the Lazer units anywhere, as long as you align each sender (IR light) to a receptor (light sensor). If you want to get fancy, you can combine multiple sets to create an entire perimeter. When all the units are properly connected, you will hear a voice announce, “System Armed.” If your perimeter is breached, an alarm will sound and the whole world will know who is in the process of stealing your last cookie. I suppose you could also use this as a way to guard your doorway (at home or at the office) to warn you of approaching intruders.

You don’t have to worry about any eye damage from this product since it uses a low beam of light. It will not burn your retina even if you look directly into it. I think the Lazer Tripwire is an interesting combination of technology that is actually used to protect serious things, such as museums and bank. Now it’s available as an affordable way to make your own Mission Impossible fantasy a reality.

The whole Lazer Tripwire system consists of three units, each with angle-able transmit and receive heads, which creates the invisible barrier. It also includes a mist bottle so you can see the “laser beams,” and requires six AAA batteries to operate (not included). It is made by Wild Planet, and is $29.99 at Think Geek (www.thinkgeek.com). Please keep in mind that this is only a toy, so it doesn’t come with armed guards.