

"Fog Cannon" fills a room to prevent burglary - staunch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stZagRGFl10&NR=1

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Groxx
I'm thinking anyone who knows about this would interpret it as an easy way to
hide what you stole for longer (cameras can't see what you're doing once it's
fogged). For a store that size, it'd still be easy to nab enough stuff to make
it worthwhile, but you're on camera for less time.

Still, quite interesting. And that's an impressive output, I'd love to have
one for halloween :D

("dissapear"? Is this an official vid? If so, that's shameful.)

~~~
csmeder
Well, this would be true if the burglar wasn't worried about the police
showing up. But if he thinks the police are going to be there in 5 mins, and
he hasn't already cased the place real good, he is probably going to have a
hard time stealing the good stuff. If the fog is thick enough he won't be able
to read labels.

As far as being on camera, having a HD video at the entrance of the store
(that records as the thief enters) is better than a lot of low quality video
of robbing. So you could make up for the fog affecting the recording of the
theft.

That said, if he cases the place well enough, and knows how long it takes for
the police to show up, the fog may not prevent the thief from getting away
with expensive items.

~~~
gridspy
Proper smoke cloak systems are combined with a strobe light that is completely
disorienting. The strobe seems to come from everywhere - I've been in a room
with one going, even the shop owner would have difficulty finding their way
out.

It really "isn't worth it"

~~~
Groxx
That would _really_ work, hadn't thought of adding a strobe. If you don't
close your eyes _immediately_ , before moving at all, you'd easily lose track
of where you are. Strobes would also get nearby people's attention, possibly
_better_ than an alarm.

That said, this video didn't seem to imply a strobe was included /
recommended.

~~~
moe
_Strobes would also get nearby people's attention, possibly better than an
alarm._

Then just add some loud techno music...

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chaostheory
Schneier has a post on the topic:
[http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2010/04/security_fog.h...](http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2010/04/security_fog.html)

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jrockway
"Fog Cannon" fills a room to prevent rescue of collapsed heart-attack victim.

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Murkin
Nothing like trapping a desperate and potentiality armed criminal inside a
shop, scared and confused.

Those two policemen had some balls to go in there, even with guns out.

(Extra points if the crook chokes a bit and then sues the shop owner)

~~~
gridspy
It is corn oil, like a nightclub. The trick is a large 300 deg heated plate in
the emitter.

~~~
Murkin
Apparently these things are getting standardized:

"BS EN 50131-8:2009" Alarm systems. Intrusion and hold-up systems. Security
fog device/systems

And are supposed to be installed in a way that prevents "man traps".

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ricree
An interesting idea, but in this video it just spooked the burglar enough to
send them running. How much of an effect would there be if they decided to
just grab some things and feel their way out.

I suppose it would limit the time someone could feasibly spend stealing, and
it does seem to make profitable reentry difficult. But I suspect the video
overstates the benefits.

~~~
JshWright
Exactly... The only reason this "worked" is because it's a pretty basic
instinct that when you're somewhere you shouldn't be, and doing something you
shouldn't be doing, anything unexpected is a reason to get the hell out.

Loud bells and flashing lights would have been just as effective.

~~~
JoeAltmaier
The fog is completely opaque. It effectively blinds the burglar. They are not
in a familiar space; their only option is to flee or be caught. The fog is
very fast; they cannot steal much in 15 seconds; they certainly cannot clean
the place out.

So panic is only a bonus; its totally unnecessary for the fog to be an
effective countermeasure.

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mkramlich
great idea

but also needs to deploy tentacles and scary sound effects

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adriand
"Later, the police arrived to secure the area, inadvertently setting off the
Spike Trap (TM)."

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mattmanser
This stuff's been in England at least for at least 5 years, the actual non-
trademarked name for these is a smoke cloak. The last two companies I worked
for had it. Funny when it goes off accidentally.

~~~
eru
An inventor's club I have known about, tried to work out a version of this
against bicycle-theft. As far as I know the idea never worked out (and seems
kind of silly for moving objects).

~~~
tomjen3
Yeah, besides if somebody stole my bike I would want them to get a sharp
electric shock, not fill half the area with smoke.

~~~
eru
Get a sharp electric shock, fall over and insure themselves? Might be grounds
to sue you, unfortunately.

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chrischen
The burglar probably thought it was some sleep agent, or worse, poison gas.

~~~
Groxx
The burglar has seen too many movies.

~~~
stcredzero
"Terminator" is a prime example of such a movie. I was once invited by an
artsy/musician friend to her new house in a very seedy part of town. Just
after I parked, I heard some altercation across the street. Some big guy was
yelling in a window. I saw a red light play over his chest, and then he _ran_.
I've never seen anyone accelerate so fast outside of a broadcast of the
Olympics. I seem to recall that the US military was using this trick wither in
Somalia or Iraq -- just playing laser sights over marauders to scare them off
-- but that stopped working and they had to actually shoot.

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harrybr
"I failed to steal anything, slipped over and banged my head on the way out. I
don't mind though - I've sued the company for thousands of dollars... far more
lucrative than a few boxes of Marlboro!"

~~~
tomjen3
Only if the shop owner was in America.

Pretty much anywhere else, he would have been laughed out of court.

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T_S_
Clever but I don't see it catching on in the U.S. Looks like a potential
lawsuit coming from burglars injured on the job. And if he can't get out, it's
a mantrap, which I believe is illegal.

~~~
jessriedel
From what I can tell, man-traps are only illegal in the US if they use deadly
force.

~~~
stcredzero
I work in the US. At my last workplace, the datacenter levels had booths
called "man-traps" as their entryway. You enter the booth on one side, then
swipe your card to authenticate. Then the door opens on the other side. If you
can't authenticate, you stay inside.

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uptown
Here's another fog cannon security video that proved effective.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK083niNAmY>

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ctingom
That's terribly clever.

~~~
bluemetal
it depends, it would certainly act as a deterrent for first time
thieves/incompetent crooks or until the system become commonplace. But as soon
as some guys work out how to operate despite it, it starts to work to their
advantage. The cameras become useless, and the police can't enter the premises
until the smoke subsides. Clever crooks might be able to use that time to
sneak out uncovered exits, or to even get into ambush positions for police who
may be expecting the place to be empty. (of course they shouldn't).

I guess time and youtube videos will tell.

~~~
kiba
Just use heat vision camera.

~~~
eli
Only if you're trying to rob a pet store

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acct100
the company that is the strongest in the US flashfog. they were the ones who
made standard the whole strobe light thing. watch the NBC video feature;
[http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local-beat/Smothering-Crime-
With-...](http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local-beat/Smothering-Crime-With-
Security-Fog-89302787.html)

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olegk
Once burglars figure out what it is, they will use it to their advantage.

------
acct100
their web <http://www.flashfogsecurity.com>

~~~
GartJ
The procedure for police responding to one of these is to just secure the
perimeter and wait for the stuff to clear before going in. I've heard they can
also send in a K-9 unit and the dogs will find anyone in the building. As
well, PIR sensors should be able to detect movement inside the building as
most of them are thermal.

As for the security cameras, great idea for having the HD one at the outside
or on the entrance. I for one am not a big believer in cameras as i know a
couple of police officers and they say if the crook is half minded, and covers
their face and wears baggy clothes, its almost impossible to get a description
from a camera. Besides how many stories on the news do you hear of these
idiots getting caught from an identification off a security camera? It would
be interesting to see stats on that...

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sliverstorm
Does anybody know what the sound track is from? They picked some pretty cool
background.

~~~
jarek
I was half-trying to recognize the music myself (almost second nature by now),
but it really sounds like Generic Presentation Background Music. Not quite
elevator-territory, but nevertheless, musical equivalent of a stock photo of
<insert presentation cliché here>.

