Weekend Fun: Kids Be Gone
Compound Security, a company from the UK, has created an ultrasonic sonic weapon to combat the “eternal problem of unwanted gatherings of youths and teenagers” dubbed the Mosquito Kid Deterrent Device. Compound Security is clearly going after owners of 7-11’s with this pitch:
Are gatherings of teenagers and young adults affecting your business and your profits?
Acclaimed by the Police forces of many areas of the United Kingdom, the Mosquito ultrasonic teenage deterrent has been described as “the most effective tool in our fight against anti social behavior.†Shop keepers around the world have purchased the device to move along unwanted gatherings of teenagers and those meddling kids.
With an effective range of between forty and 60 feet, loitering teenagers are instantly aware of the Mosquito and usually depart from the area within just a couple of minutes. The system doesn’t create hearning loss even with long term exposure.
So how does the Mosquito work without disturbing respectable customers?
Based on a medical phenomenon known as Presbycusis (age related hearing loss), it is possible to generate a high frequency sound that is audible only to teenagers. According to The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, “Presbycusis begins after the age of 20 and affects the highest frequencies (18 to 20 kHz).”
The Mosquito emits a very high frequency modulated tone (17.5–18.5 kHz) that is completely harmless, but extremely irritating. It has been designed to run at 5 dB above background noise levels using an onboard AGC system that measures the ambient noise and adjusts the sound output level accordingly. Pretty cool…
ABC’s Nightline did a cheeky “Teen Repellent” feature on the Mosquito which shows it in action (WindowsMedia). More information on the Mosquito Kid Deterrent Device.
