Intruders beware: New face-detecting AI security cam fires paintballs and teargas

Homeowners delight: a startup from Slovenia has created what might just be the most badass security camera ever made. 

The “world-first” device is called Eve, but she ain’t no saint. Eve is an AI-powered home security system that fires paintballs and tear gas pellets at intruders. 

Via computer vision technology — that also works at night — the cam can recognise individual faces and even animals. Users can designate guests as friend or foe using an app. (Good luck to the kid just trying to get his frisbee back!)

Here’s where it gets really interesting. If an unknown intruder appears next to someone known — perhaps your daughter’s new boyfriend — Eve asks you to make the call. Should she take the shot, or not? 

If Eve detects an unwanted trespasser, she yells out a warning: “You’re identified as a non-authorised personnel. You have five seconds to leave the property!”

If the adversary doesn’t scarper, Eve blasts them with paintballs or tear gas. As if that wasn’t enough, the camera records every moment and stores the footage in the cloud. So even if they escape the robo-attack — they’ll probably still get busted.  

“When wanting to ensure safety, being passive falls short,” said Paintcam, the startup behind Eve. “Let’s dare to imagine a world where security is not just a passive observer but an active guardian.” 

With the global home security market worth a whopping $51.9bn (€49bn) in 2021, Paintcam has plenty of potential customers. However, Eve will no doubt raise plenty of ethical concerns. We’re not even sure whether a camera like this is legal.  

But let’s not ruin the fun. For now, we’re going to cut Eve and its creators some slack — although I’m not sure my daughter’s new boyfriend will be so fortunate. 

Paintcam will officially launch Eve on April 23. The cost has not been disclosed. The startup is currently fundraising on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter.