Most Americans have some sort of home security system in place—usually a series of connected cameras. Now, there are a number of companies who are starting to sell home security systems that don’t just alert, but fight back. These home-defense systems aim to teach intruders (or your teenager sneaking back in after curfew) one hell of a lesson: by deploying pepper spray, smoke bombs, paintballs, ear-piercing alarms or a “disorienting fog.”
Disorienting fog
“Security experts understand that it’s extremely difficult to steal without being able to see,” is how MyShield’s public relations representative Morayah Horovitz explains the idea behind their security system. MyShield is an indoor, battery-operated device that can be integrated with existing security systems or used on its own. On detecting motion, it will request a visual confirmation from the homeowner, and once it is received, it will deploy a non-toxic but “disorienting” fog created using a polytechnic composition. You can create a network of MyShield devices that cover your whole home, and is $1300 for just the cost of the device, plus a $40 per month subscription. Essence, the company that makes MyShield, has already sold over a million similar units over the last decade in America and Europe, and claim a high level of success. While it feels a little apocalyptic, some in-home smog was the least extreme of the options available.
Paintballs
Although it’s pre-market, PaintCam Eve is a fully funded Kickstarter that will begin shipping in 2025. Available in three models, Eve is an AI-enabled smart security camera that can also shoot your eye out with a paintball. Seeing as the AI in the various doorbells I’ve tried still occasionally ID my mailman Steve as a package and routinely think the neighbors’ cat is a solicitor at my door, I asked the team at Eve how confident they were about their system. Like MyShield, it turns out none of the reactions are automated. Rather, Eve allows you to create warning zones around your home, where possible threats receive a verbal or audible warning first, while the system alerts the homeowners and they decide whether to engage the paintballs. At least, that’s how it works “in manual mode,” as a representative for the executive team named Hana explained in an email. Regarding their AI, “the core of this system is a deep learning neural network that has been extensively trained on a vast dataset of images and scenarios. This training includes thousands of examples of different objects, faces, pets, and potential threats.” Basically, it works like all other AI does.
In terms of potential damage, if you’ve ever gone paintballing, you know the balls generally aren’t lethal—but it turns out, they do routinely hurt people, resulting in eye and ear damage and the rare death. While these are “non-lethal paintballs, similar to those used by law enforcement for peaceful deterrence” according to Hana, this brings up a good point: Paintballs, when used by police, incur a higher rate of injury than recreational paintball users because the victim isn’t expecting it. I haven’t broken into a home since I got home late from a concert in 1993, but I am absolutely sure I wasn’t expecting high-speed projectiles. As for pets, there are three models—Eve, Eve+ and Eve Pro—and the latter two “include an advanced Animal Detection feature.” Standard Eve users will have to trust that AI recognizes cats better than my Ring camera. Eve is predicted to start at $2165 when it launches for retail, with an additional subscription at around $38/month.
Pepper spray (and more)
While Deep Sentinel’s new FlashBang technology will be available to residents in the future, for now it’s only on a case-by-case basis—demand is mostly from businesses. Still, if fog and projectiles aren’t enough for you, perhaps pepper spray, smoke bombs, strobes, and sirens are your flavor. FlashBang itself is part of the security system that Deep Sentinel deploys, and while the company and systems have been around for a while, FlashBang is on the verge of launch, having completed beta testing. The core system relies on AI, with integration for live “guards.” FlashBang are deployment devices with encryption and security on board. Deployment of the heftier tactics like smoke and pepper spray require human approval, much like the other products detailed above. David “Selly” Selinger, CEO and Co-founder of Deep Sentinel, assured me that all the medical effects of the tactics used were temporary, and would amount to nothing more than some coughing, nasal and throat irritation, going so far as to mention that the smoke uses food-grade particles. Still, there are many reports that pepper spray and smoke bombs may have greater health effects, particularly on menstrual cycles. FlashBang will start at $2000, but since it is part of a whole security system, there are additional hardware and subscription costs.
Is it legal?
I asked each company about the legality or liability concerns of having such a system. Eve punted the responsibility to homeowners, saying, “we advise buyers to check their local laws regarding property protection.” Selinger noted that “all of the FlashBang components are legal in all 50 states.” I checked with two attorneys in different states, Oregon and Arizona, and while laws vary by city, state and county, generally the law in play is the Castle Doctrine, or “Stand Your Ground.” The idea is that individuals can use “reasonable force” to protect themselves against an intruder in their home. The courts come into play when you have to interpret what is reasonable, and what constitutes a threat. Additionally, there’s great variance even in Stand Your Ground laws from state to state, and both lawyers pointed out, it’s hard to argue self-defense if the homeowner isn’t even in the home at the time these security tactics are deployed.
Is it ethical?
I asked both Eve and Deep Sentinel to respond to the natural reaction that people might have to the severity of their defense systems. Hana from Eve replied, “For those who haven’t experienced the fear of an intruder on their property while their family is home, our system might seem excessive. However, those familiar with that fear understand the necessity of a system designed not to harm the intruder, but to scare and mark them, aiding law enforcement in apprehending them more swiftly.” Selinger echoed the sentiment. “Yes, perhaps it will come off strong, but in a world where criminals are allowed to feel they have the upper hand, I believe people should feel like they don’t have to be victims.”
Hana raises a good point—these systems just scare people, which isn’t (usually) lethal. If they can deter intruders (and home owners from taking more severe action themselves), perhaps that’s a good thing. The idea that intruders are “marked” by eye burn or smoke burn or paintballs should make it easier to track an intruder down. Still, these feel extreme. And what none of these systems factor in is the probability that “home security” will have a whole new meaning when your neighbors get fed up with the ear-piercing alarms and tactical training ground you’ve created on your property. Even paintballs have nothing on a well-worded HOA letter.
