There are some amazing lightsaber collectibles, including handy dueling sets so you can cosplay and sword fight to your heart’s content. The crazy thing is that the concept of lightsabers came from a random discovery in a camera store. Of course, nothing will ever come close to a real saber, as deadly light swords may never be possible, at least not on the scale of Hollywood. But if you boil things down to the level of a bug, the impressive, and perhaps terrifying, technology is already here. An independent designer named Jonathan Barraclough of Brightbeam Solutions presented the “most satisfying” way to eliminate pesky bugs: a modular zapper called Bug Saber.
Barraclough, a former Air Force officer, NASA engineer and now product designer, turned to Kickstarter to fund the project. The Bug Saber features full-motion sound effects, a glowing LED ring, and a 4,000-volt high-voltage grid to zap critters. The lightsaber-inspired hilt looks like a collector’s item, but it’s not for the Padawans. Functionally, there are three main components: the Bug Saber head with zapping grid, a handle and a vertical stand, available separately or together. You can get just the head and swap out your favorite hilt if you already own a third-party saber. Early pre-orders start at $24 for the head alone. More expensive bundles, like the $54 starter kit, include a handle and more. The first shipments are expected in December if all goes according to plan, but as with any ambitious Kickstarter project, rewards are not guaranteed. The total goal is $10,000, but this is an all-or-nothing project that will not be funded if it does not reach its goal on time.
Concretely, how does Bug Saber work?
The key component is the Bug Saber head, the tallest piece that incorporates the 4,000 volt grid. Stationed in the middle of the glowing LED ring, the grid helps it function as a sort of electrified paddle. Insects are naturally attracted to light, much like a traditional bug zapper, only to be vaporized when they fly into it. All the while, the saber is designed to give you, the wielder, full visual and aural satisfaction. It will react as you would expect from a lightsaber, producing sound effects that match the blast of a neon “Star Wars” blade.
You can use it in a portable setup, as intended, but you can also mount it on a stand and leave it wherever you have a bug problem. This can be in your garden, at the campsite, on your terrace, even indoors. Brightbeam Solutions has a video demonstration of an early model in use, if you’d like to see it in action. Bug Saber creator Barraclough even drops a bug onto the grid for a shocking first look at where all those zapped bug parts go. Hint: It’s nowhere, because there’s apparently no cleanup afterward.
At the risk of repeating it, of course, this will never come close to a real saber. Fans know that Star Wars lightsabers are more than just weapons, and behind their (fictional) existence and design lies a ton of deeply fascinating lore. But we can leave Barraclough to it; It’s still pretty damn cool after all. Surprisingly, there’s also a ton of other Star Wars technology out there today.
