“HUMAN SWITCH”

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20653, 29 June 1935, Page 9

“HUMAN SWITCH”

Body “Ray” Harnessed by Inventors. 'V’OBODY can pass within four feet of Mr A. C. Alexandra’s office in Buchanan's Buildings, Holborn, without flooding it in a blaze of light from a score of coloured lamps, says a London “ Daily Express ” correspondent. A man in an adjoining office has had to move his chair from his favourite corner. lie was too near Mr Alexandra’s safe on the other side of the brick wall. Every time he leaned back an alarm was sounded and workers in a dozen nearby offices jumped from their seats. These are some of the effects of an invention, perfected by Mr R. A. Lovibond and Mr Alexandra, both London electrical engineers. They have harnessed the electricity radiated by the human body. They can make it open doors and light up shop windows when any one approaches within a variable range up to sixteen feet. When I went to Mr Alexandra’s office all the lights went on as I approaches and knocked on the glasspanelled door. “ Must be someone in ...” I thought. But there was no response. I walked away—and the coloured lights inside went out. “ There is someone in! ” I decided, and retraced my steps—all the lights went on! Then it dawned on me that I was responsible for these strange happenings. The principle of the invention when used as a burglar alarm is an electrically charged wire laid about the centre to be protected. It can be buried in a prison wall sixteen feet deep, if necesA human being approaches and the minute electrical radiations from his body upset the frequency of the small charge in the hidden wire. ' is causes a circuit to be made which lights lamps •or sounds syrens.