Japan is one of the safest countries of the world, but this didn’t stop a local company called Shimada to develop a security item of a very special kind: An anti-burglar mat. No joke: The company, which usually produces rat traps and repellents [JP], was asked by the Japanese police to do it.
The mat is basically a sheet with an adhesive layer and weighs a whopping 8kg (size: 1mx1.5m). Shimada says the main idea behind the mat is to enhance security in your own home in a discreet way (the thing, which you can see in the picture, looks like a regular entrance mat).
The company also claims that it proved to be effective during a recent test run when a burglar tried to enter a restaurant in the middle of the night. The owners found the mat wrinkled, but all their belongings were left untouched. If that’s not proof of the mat’s effectiveness, I don’t know what is.
At least Shimada admits the mat is only there to scare burglars away, not to really catch them. The mat will become available in Japan only starting this fall.
Via Nikkei [registration required, paid subscription]
Much like the insanely sticky pads used to catch household vermin, I suspect this would be collecting an insanely large amount of leaves, dust, dirt and otherwise rendering it somewhat useless after a few days.
If I saw this at Home Depot, I’d buy it in a second. For my office. Right outside the door.
Sounds like a good way of deterring burglars. I would think those mats would make some kind of flopping noise and burglars don’t want to be heard or noticed.
HHAHA this is hilarious. This is more for college student having fun than an actual anti-burglar mat. Man, I wish I had this when I was in college. http://ziggytek.com/
I would think that any burglar would figure this out pretty fast and simply step over it … Fool me once, good for you, fool me twice, I don’t think so…
It will be good for the beginning, but when it becomes real popular, every burglar would step over carpets if its sticky or not lol.
Putting it in a place when there would never see it until its to late is good though
Looks useless. Great anecdote btw: the restaurant owners finds their mat slightly wrinkled and suspect that a burglar broke in, got caught, got free, then didn’t bother to steal anything? Are they sure it wasn’t aliens? Bigfoot?
Wouldn’t it just get dirty? Besides, even in the photograph, the mat looks sticky. It wouldn’t fool me, that’s for sure!