YouTuber Mark Rober and Macaulay Culkin troll porch pirates with glitter bombs

By Allison Matyus December 16, 2019

While the holiday season brings lots of online shopping, it also attracts thieves who will try to steal those packages that show up at your door. Never fear: A former NASA engineer has created a device that can deter package thieves this holiday shopping season.

Mark Rober helped design NASA’s Curiosity Rover. He now has a successful YouTube channel where he conducts experiments. His most recent video features a new version of last year’s package trap that is aimed at catching nefarious package thieves red-handed.

Recommended Videos

The video posted on Sunday to his YouTube channel is titled “Porch Pirate vs. Glitter Bomb Trap 2.0,” and shows off his latest experiment in protection from package thieves. The new package features biodegradable glitter, GPS tracking, stink spray, a countdown sound effect, fake police chatter, and cameras.

Rober said he has been the victim of package stealing in the past and was inspired by the movie Home Alone to make a revenge device for thieves who think it’s OK to steal other people’s packages. Home Alone actor Macaulay Culkin even appears in the video to help Rober test it.

The new-and-improved device builds on the original design and took 10 months to perfect. Rober said he put out a call for people’s addresses and received more than 400 responses from people all over the country whose packages had been stolen in the past and who wanted their own form of revenge.

The video goes on to show the thieves’ reactions as they open the package and panic, and while it’s definitely refreshing to see them get their just desserts, not every package thief is caught.

Along with the convenience that comes with online shopping and having items delivered to your door, there’s always the added risk of theft.

“1.7 million packages are either stolen or go missing every day,” Rober said in the video.

There are a number of ways you can keep porch pirates away, including investing in some thief-stopping technology like a smart doorbell, lighting up your property, or merely asking neighbors you trust to keep an eye out for your packages, especially during the holiday season.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Allison Matyus is a general news reporter at Digital Trends. She covers any and all tech news, including issues around social…

Entertainment

Venom: The Last Dance is already falling short at the box office

Tom Hardy touches a horse in Venom: The Last Dance.

It may only be halfway through its opening weekend, but Venom: The Last Dance is already falling short of its franchise's standards at the box office.

The new comic book film brings Tom Hardy's big-screen adventures as Eddie Brock to an end and was, therefore, marketed as a zany and climactic final outing for the superhero genre's quirkiest duo. Unfortunately, while certain elements of the film's early trailers — like the Venom-ized horse that Eddie and his symbiote pal use at one point to travel a bit more quickly — went viral online, it doesn't seem like moviegoers feel as compelled to seek out Venom: The Last Dance like they did its two predecessors.

Smart Home

Apple’s smart display might aesthetically revive the iconic iMac G4

Apple iMac G4 desktop computer.

Apple’s foray into the smart display segment is eagerly anticipated, and if Bloomberg’s numerous reports are anything go by, we could see the first entry hit the shelves as early as 2025. Now, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, in the latest edition of his PowerOn newsletter, reports that the upcoming machine could borrow some inspiration from the legendary iMac G4.

“The screen is positioned at an angle on a small base, making it reminiscent of the circular bottom ... from a couple of decades ago,” Gurman writes.

Cars

Costco partners with Electric Era to bring back EV charging in the U.S.

costco ev charging us electricera fast station 1260x945

Costco, known for its discount gas stations, has left EV drivers in need of juicing up out in the cold for the past 12 years. But that seems about to change now that the big-box retailer is putting its brand name on a DC fast-charging station in Ridgefield, Washington.
After being one of the early pioneers of EV charging in the 1990s, Costco abandoned the offering in 2012 in the U.S.
While opening just one station may seem like a timid move, the speed at which the station was installed -- just seven weeks -- could indicate big plans going forward.
Besides lightening-speed installation, Electric Era, the Seattle-based company making and installing the charging station, promises to offer “hyper-reliable, battery-backed fast charging technology in grid-constrained locations.”
Its stalls can deliver up to 200 kilowatts and come with built-in battery storage, allowing for lower electricity rates and the ability to remain operational even when power grids go down.
If that sounds like it could very well rival Tesla’s SuperCharger network, it’s no coincidence: Quincy Lee, its CEO, is a former SpaceX engineer.
Costco also seems confident enough in the company to have put its brand name on the EV-charging station. Last year, the wholesaler did open a pilot station in Denver, this time partnering with Electrify America, the largest charging network in the U.S. However, Costco did not put its brand name on it.
In an interview with Green Car Reports, Electric Era said it was still in talks with Costco about the opening of new locations. Last year, Costco said it was planning to install fast chargers at 20 locations, without providing further details. It has maintained EV-charging operations in Canada, the UK, Spain, and South Korea.
Meanwhile, the wholesaler’s U.S. EV-charging plans might very well resemble those of rival Walmart, which last year announced it was building its own EV fast-charging network in addition to the arrangements it already had with Electrify America.