If you live in a heavily trafficked area, there’s a good chance you’ve fallen prey to the Amazon thief–the person who sees a package on your doorstep and steals it. Engineer Mark Rober has experienced this, too. In a YouTube video he uploaded yesterday, he showed us his form of revenge.
If what the video details is real (which, in this world, who knows!), Rober built a very elaborate booby trap to entice package thieves, which then surprised them with two of the world’s the most annoying elements. The small package contained a reserve of glitter, which, when opened, exploded everywhere. It also had a can of “fart spray” that was deployed every 30 seconds. Meanwhile, the box was built to record everything, using four smartphone cameras.
Rober, in the video, says he spent months developing it. And he seems like just kind of guy who would do this. His YouTube channel is filled with Rube Goldberg-like projects that use engineering and science–including mousetrap propelled cars and the alleged world’s largest super soaker. Not only that, but Rober worked at NASA for nearly a decade and helped build the Curiosity rover, which ultimately rocketed to Mars. So if any person had the credentials to build such a device, it would be this guy.
While revenge against petty thieves isn’t quite the same as literal rocket science, there is definitely a similar payoff. In the video, you see more than a few people take the package and then instantly regret it as their life is covered with glitter and fart scent.
Which is to say: It’s definitely satisfying to watch, and you can see it below. Let’s just hope Rober doesn’t get milkshake ducked.
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