Startup pitches a paintball-armed, AI-powered home security camera

It’s a bold pitch for homeowners: What if you let a small tech startup’s crowdfunded AI surveillance system dispense vigilante justice for you?

A Slovenia-based company called OZ-IT recently announced PaintCam Eve, a line of autonomous property monitoring devices that will utilize motion detection and facial recognition to guard against supposed intruders. In the company’s zany promo video, a voiceover promises Eve will protect owners from burglars, unwanted animal guests, and any hapless passersby who fail to heed its “zero compliance, zero tolerance” warning.

The consequences for shrugging off Eve’s threats: Getting blasted with paintballs, or perhaps even teargas pellets.

“Experience ultimate peace of mind,” PaintCam’s website declares, as Eve will offer owners a “perfect fusion of video security and physical presence” thanks to its “unintrusive [sic] design that stands as a beacon of safety.”

And to the naysayers worried Eve could indiscriminately bombard a neighbor’s child with a bruising paintball volley, or accidentally hock riot control chemicals at an unsuspecting Amazon Prime delivery driver? Have no fear—the robot’s “EVA” AI system will leverage live video streaming to a user’s app, as well as employ facial recognition technology system that would allow designated people to pass by unscathed.

In the company’s promotional video, there appears to be a combination of automatic and manual screening capabilities. At one point, Eve is shown issuing a verbal warning to an intruder, offering them a five-second countdown to leave its designated perimeter. When the stranger fails to comply, Eve automatically fires a paintball at his chest. Later, a man watches from his PaintCam app’s livestream as his frantic daughter waves at Eve’s camera to spare her boyfriend, which her father allows.

“If an unknown face appears next to someone known—perhaps your daughter’s new boyfriend—PaintCam defers to your instructions,” reads a portion of product’s website.

Presumably, determining pre-authorized visitors would involve them allowing 3D facial scans to store in Eve’s system for future reference. (Because facial recognition AI has such an accurate track record devoid of racial bias.) At the very least, require owners to clear each unknown newcomer. Either way, the details are sparse on PaintCam’s website.

What true peace of mind looks like. Credit: PaintCam

But as New Atlas points out, there aren’t exactly a bunch of detailed specs or price ranges available just yet, beyond the allure of suburban crowd control gadgetry. OZ-IT vows Eve will include all the smart home security basics like live monitoring, night vision, object tracking, movement detection, night vision, as well as video storage and playback capabilities.

There are apparently “Standard,” “Advanced,” and “Elite” versions of PaintCam Eve in the works. The basic tier only gets owners “smart security” and “app on/off” capabilities, while Eve+ also offers animal detection. Eve Pro apparently is the only one to include facial recognition, which implies the other two models could be a tad more… indiscriminate in their surveillance methodologies. It’s unclear how much extra you’ll need to shell out for the teargas tier, too.

PaintCam’s Kickstarter is set to go live on April 23. No word on release date for now, but whenever it arrives, Eve’s makers promise a “safer, more colorful future” for everyone. That’s certainly one way of describing it.