Creepy Smelly Burglar Alarm

 Can you rethink the way burglar alarms is working?

The creepy looking devil’s fingers sparked the idea. Looks are important but for this nature inspired idea the smells that the fungi release is more crucial for the alarm to work.

A burglar alarm usually works by making a loud noise. The focus is on sending a message to the world that someone is committing a crime.

But what is you could design an alarm that scares the burglar away? This idea popped up as we were making sketches of the fascinating fungi in our Biomimicry Journal.

What if something smelly and creepy could pop up in front of a potential buglar? Preventing crimes is so much better!

Our idea is that little balls are placed around the house and if you are not at home, the person has x minutes to leave the house before the creepy fingers crawl up releasing disgusting smells. And there is no point in wearing a mask because this device is too smart and will simply reach the potential burglar’s nose anyway.

Always explore the risks with your ideas. Here is the risk that the balls are released by mistake so that when you enter your home you are greeted by a horrible smell and creepy fingers. But we could overcome this problem by designing an app. So the little clever balls can learn to recognise you and your friends.

If you are aspiring to become a great inventor, you will also see the potential of making a mask that prevents the smells for entering the nose. But whoever buys this device could be tracked or identified before they have a chance to commit a crime. What would this device look like?

What ideas do you get when you look a devil’s fingers?