Mark Rober Is Back with an Upgraded Version of His Infamous Glitter Bomb Project

Due to the increasing prevalence of online shopping, millions of packages are stolen every year from porches, making this problem a very expensive one to solve. Thieves can often strike with incredible speed and leave without a trace, which is why something had to be done to at least deter porch pirates from stealing those tempting deliveries.

Previous Glitter Bombs

With over 20 million subscribers, YouTuber and former NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer Mark Rober has been coming up with increasingly complex bait packages that attempt to lure thieves into taking them. However, these devices contain several nasty surprises such as loud horns, GPS trackers, cameras, and as the name implies, plenty of bright and messy glitter to ruin the thief's day.

A few new features

For Rober's fourth iteration of his signature Glitter Bomb project, he added a few new surprises that activate whenever the lid is opened. First and foremost, this version has a lid that gets thrown off automatically to expose the machinery underneath. Rober originally created a flywheel mechanism that would spin a wheel quickly and then drop a wheel attached to a gear which launched a pinion vertically, but this was called off due to the complexity. In its place is a Hall effect sensor that determines when the lid has been lifted up, thus triggering two pneumatic pistons to fill with air and punch the lid.

Next, the system now contains an onboard microphone that records audio continuously to catch the thieves whilst they open the box and experience all that it holds within and a car horn that blares a loud noise for an extra scare. Finally, there are four canisters filled with 20% more obnoxious-smelling aerosol spray that get activated whenever the stepper motor above them turns and presses the plunger down, along with a new translucent cover that better diffuses the RGB LEDs inside.

Throwing glitter

The most important part of the Glitter Bomb is the glitter, of course, and the design for its dispensing mechanism was changed from the last version. Instead of merely holding a bowl of glitter, this new design has a dual-funnel system that stores glitter in an inner chamber while allowing a measured portion to fly out the top when spun. This way, the unit can now give the thief a triple dose of colorful shavings and spread out the "fun" experienced.

Recording footage and telemetry

Trying to catch thieves in the act would be quite tough if there wasn't a way to track the stolen package, so Rober's design incorporated a GPS tracker that sends real-time location data. And because this is all for a YouTube video, there are four mobile phones that are always recording video and storing it on the cloud so we can all watch it back and laugh when the Glitter Bomb activates and sprays everywhere.

Concealing it at night

One big challenge that had to be tackled was how to keep the entire device charged and ready for action without the need for human intervention. Additionally, the charging system had to be discrete enough so that thieves wouldn't become suspicious. The solution was carried over from version three's design, and it came in the form of a custom doormat with a pair of spring-loaded pins that make contact with the bottom of the Glitter Bomb. To hide it at night, Rober created a robotic planter that automatically opens a side door, moves on top of the Glitter Bomb, and closes over it, thus keeping the whole box out of sight from thieves.

Testing out the system

With all of the preparations made and several Glitter Bomb 4.0s in hand, Rober set about laying the traps. Shortly thereafter, his devices were nabbed by a dozen porch pirates, with each encounter recorded the entire time for our viewing entertainment. Nearly every single thief was covered by the glittery shower that was thrown from the box, with one even experiencing it in his car. To make things even better, the pungent spray and car horn added another layer of trouble to an already ruined day for the thieves.

You can watch Rober's full compilation of his project in action below!