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A former NASA engineer made an explosive glitter bomb to shock parcel thieves and dedicated it to Kevin from 'Home Alone'

GLITTER BOMB THUMB
GLITTER BOMB THUMB

YouTube/Mark Rober

 

  • Mark Rober, a former NASA engineer, built a hi-tech glitter-bomb prank targeting parcel thieves.

  • Rober had a parcel stolen in May by "porch pirates" and the police didn't help, so he devised a solution himself.

  • The glitter bomb is hidden in an Apple HomePod speaker box, and the explosion is recorded using four hidden smartphones inside.

  • Rober placed the fake speaker on his porch several times and captured reactions of people showered in glitter and novelty fart spray.

A former NASA engineer made an explosive glitter bomb meant to ward off parcel thieves after a parcel was stolen from his porch earlier this year.

Mark Rober, who worked for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for nine years, said in a Monday YouTube video that he spent six months building a "glitter-bomb revenge package" after someone stole a parcel from his porch in May.

The police at the time told him there wasn't much they could do about it, he said.

Here's how the high-tech prank works

The glitter bomb is hidden inside the packaging of an Apple HomePod speaker, which is wrapped in clear cellophane and left on a person's porch.

glitter prank box
glitter prank box

YouTube/Mark Rober

But instead of the speaker, the box contains four concealed smartphones that record the would-be thief from every angle through hidden windows cut into the box.

The package also has a built-in GPS locator and accelerometer, which prompt the phones to start recording if the box is moved.

accelerometer
accelerometer

YouTube/Mark Rober

As a tribute to Kevin McCallister, the "Home Alone" prankster played by Macaulay Culkin, Rober put postage stickers on the package that were addressed to Harry and Marv, the movie's slapstick crooks.

nasa glitter bomb
nasa glitter bomb

YouTube/Mark Rober

As the thief opens the package, wires are tripped that cause the motor inside to start spinning, covering those nearby in glitter.

There's no way to tell whether the person opening the packing is the rightful owner, which means the product would be of limited use in the real world.

glitter bomb rober
glitter bomb rober

Mark Rober/YouTube

To add insult to injury, the 38-year-old also added a "fart spray" dispenser to the prank.

When the box is opened, a canister sprays the foul-smelling synthetic "fart spray" out the top of the box. In the video, Rober says: "No joke you can clear a room with one spray of this."

Rober said in his video: "If anyone was going to make a revenge package and overengineer the crap out of it, it was going to be me."

"The moral of the story is just don't take other people's stuff," he said.

glitter theif amazon
glitter theif amazon

YouTube/Mark Rober

Here's the full video:

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