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CES 2014: A Bedbug Detector that Looks Interesting but has Detractors (Video)

This is a slightly puzzling product. To begin with, Christopher Goggin, shown as the inventor of the Electronic Dog Nose (as featured in Popular Science) may not be the actual inventor, at least according to some of the comments attached to that 2011 Popular Science article. Yet other comments on the same article claim that the unit Goggin supposedly ripped off is totally different from his, and doesn't work, while his does. A report (pdf) on bed-bugs.co.uk says the device "...clearly fails to perform to the manufacturers specification and procedures." Goggin's badge at CES showed his company affiliation as Datt Solutions Group, but Datt's website did not mention him as of Jan. 21, 2013, several weeks after CES 2014 closed. A New York Real Estate blog is skeptical, as are others. Goggin also claims to have a laser device that will kill the bedbugs you find. It sounds great. But a person who prefers the tried and true to new products that may or may not work might want to use old-fashioned, all-natural Diatomaceous earth, which kills not only bedbugs but other insect pests, and costs very little compared to most other methods. If that method doesn't work, then it may be time to try dogs, lasers, and other ways to find and kill bedbugs, which have been spotted everywhere from luxury hotels to housing projects, even in taxicabs and movie theaters.

55 of 72 comments (clear)

  1. ...what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The summary read like random words in a blender

    I think some of the infinite monkeys have knocked off early today

    1. Re:...what? by TWiTfan · · Score: 3, Funny

      The monkeys were fired after they got really smug about using Elizabethan English for *everything*.

      --
      The cow says "Moo." The dog says "Woof." The Timothy says "Thanks, valued customer. We appreciate your input."
  2. Confusing copy. by PktLoss · · Score: 2

    The title leads me to think this is a video about a bed bug detector. The copy in the post goes on and on about where someone worked, or claimed to work, and what their website said...

    Please edit copy and try again.

    1. Re:Confusing copy. by Sarten-X · · Score: 1

      It's easier to just change the headline. I propose:

      Roblimo caught "editing" Slashdot story while intoxicated

      --
      You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
    2. Re:Confusing copy. by rmdingler · · Score: 2
      Heh heh.

      There are mornings when I wish my Slashdot account had an ignition alcohol interlock.

      --
      Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

      Ernest Hemingway

    3. Re:Confusing copy. by Charliemopps · · Score: 1

      Buahahahhaaha

    4. Re:Confusing copy. by gmhowell · · Score: 1

      I'm sorry. I wrote that for people with 3-digit IQs. I'll try to keep things simpler in the future.

      Give me a break. The criticism is well justified. The summary is truly horrific writing.

      --
      Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
    5. Re:Confusing copy. by Goaway · · Score: 1

      No, you wrote that for people who already knew whatever the hell it is you were going on about. Which is pretty pointless, since they already know.

      I can't make head or tails of this summary. It's rambling gibberish. And I certainly have a three-digit IQ.

      Learn how to write so that other people can actually understand you. That's your job. Leave the smug condescension for when you are actually capable of the fairly simple task of writing a summary.

    6. Re:Confusing copy. by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      If he could write a coherent summary, he wouldn't be a /. editor.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  3. "This is a slightly puzzling product." by hamburger+lady · · Score: 3, Informative

    this is a slightly puzzling summary.

    --

    ---
    Is this the MPAA? Is this the RIAA? Is this the DMCA? I thought it was the USA!
  4. This is a slightly puzzling product. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    A report (pdf) on bed-bugs.co.uk says the device "...clearly fails to perform to the manufacturers specification and procedures."

    Obviously, the device is running buggy firmware.

    1. Re:This is a slightly puzzling product. by bobbied · · Score: 1

      A report (pdf) on bed-bugs.co.uk says the device "...clearly fails to perform to the manufacturers specification and procedures."

      Obviously, the device is running buggy firmware.

      Oh great.. Now I have to clean my late afternoon coffee off the keyboard. Well played AC... Wish I had mod points...

      Remind me NOT to drink coffee and read /.

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
    2. Re:This is a slightly puzzling product. by Megane · · Score: 1

      If the developers aren't sure what is needed to make it work properly, maybe they should sleep on it for a while.

      --
      #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
  5. WTF is this actually about? by wcrowe · · Score: 5, Funny

    My hovercraft is full of eels.

    --
    Proverbs 21:19
    1. Re:WTF is this actually about? by TeknoHog · · Score: 1

      In that case, I'm sure you'll like our eel detector that looks interesting but has detractors (Video)!

      --
      Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
    2. Re:WTF is this actually about? by Charliemopps · · Score: 2

      The more I think about it, I have to admit that your post makes a lot more sense than the actual article. In regards to the eels, I recommend Fa-breeze.

    3. Re:WTF is this actually about? by mythosaz · · Score: 1

      My hovercraft is full of eels.

      I will not buy this tobacconist, it is scratched.

    4. Re:WTF is this actually about? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Or, as SLJ would say... "muthafukin eels om my muthafuckin hovercraft"

  6. Can't Compare by The+Cat · · Score: 1

    Greatest bedbug detector and eliminator in the world:

    http://gallery.photo.net/photo...

    Turn six of them loose in your house and you'll never see another bug again.

    1. Re:Can't Compare by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Let me guess how this ends. With gorillas dying when freezing weather hits?

    2. Re:Can't Compare by Megane · · Score: 1

      ...and you'll save up to 15% on your auto insurance too!

      --
      #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
    3. Re:Can't Compare by wcrowe · · Score: 1

      When we lived down South, my wife would absolutely freak out when these things would get into the house. Then she got really furious when I suggested that we should leave them alone, they weren't hurting anyone, and they would keep down the bug population.

      --
      Proverbs 21:19
  7. Better than dirt by CODiNE · · Score: 1

    Nobody wants to stay in a hotel to sit in a movie theatre with yellow brown dirt everywhere. Depending on the size and wattage the laser idea could quickly disinfect rooms without leaving a mess. Or a portable one could run through once a week or so.

    --
    Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
    1. Re:Better than dirt by Megane · · Score: 1

      Nobody wants to stay in a hotel to sit in a movie theatre with yellow brown dirt everywhere.

      You mean that's not just popcorn dust?

      --
      #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
  8. Interesting but not useful by Antipater · · Score: 4, Informative

    So he has a mechanical nose to detect them, and he has a point-and-shoot laser to kill them. Neither of those are a good idea.

    First of all, the detector. This one's the better of the two ideas. If it can do all that a dog can do, then it's probably worth it for someone uber-paranoid or in a high-risk environment. But it's 3-4 times the price of a dog visit, so someone who just wants a quick check around the apartment is better off with the dog. And that's still with the big IF it can do it as well as a dog.

    Oh, and his worries that a bug-dog will jump all over your furniture or eat poison are ludicrous. They're highly trained professionals, like their handlers. Not quite police-dog level, but close. A bug-dog that wrecks the place or eats poison will not be a bug-dog for long.

    Next topic - the laser. First of all, his statement about industry-standard insecticides is wrong. Only some exterminators still use pesticides for bedbugs; the others use heat. If they do use pesticide, there are new ones out there that are extremely potent and will not likely need to be reapplied. But the go-to treatment now is heat, and they do it in a much more effective way than this dumb laser. Bedbugs want to survive just like any other living creature - they will run away from a targeted blast of heat, and they'll run someplace the laser can't reach them, like inside the walls (if they weren't there already, which they probably were). Effective heat treatments raise the entire interior temperature of your apartment/house above bug-lethal temperatures. There is no escape.

    Don't buy from this guy. He knows a little about what he's talking about, but his solutions are the wrong solutions. If you think you have bedbugs, contact a professional pest control operator. They are extremely difficult to kill, and you will often only make the infestation worse if you try to DIY it.

    --
    Everything is better with chainsaws.
    1. Re:Interesting but not useful by Antipater · · Score: 5, Informative
      Oh, and I forgot to mention this quote:

      . But most of the time bed bugs are the result of just poor housekeeping in one place.

      Which is flat out false. Bedbugs have nothing to do with cleanliness or housekeeping. They eat blood, not trash. They are attracted to you, not your mess.

      --
      Everything is better with chainsaws.
    2. Re:Interesting but not useful by msobkow · · Score: 1

      Furthermore, they can hitch a ride on anyone who visits your house. You don't have to be a dumpster-diver to get them.

      I've had them. They're a major pain in the ass to get rid of when you can't afford the heat treatments.

      But what are you going to do? Seal yourself off and never allow any company over?

      Even then, your neighbour in the apartment building can get an infestation, and they do wander the halls.

      --
      I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
    3. Re:Interesting but not useful by deconfliction · · Score: 3, Informative

      It's also false because bedbugs are insanely awesome hiders (advanced persistent parasites). As someone that had them for 2 years spanning 2 residences, and was finally able to out-smart/engineer them (with heat in addition to ridiculous housekeeping measures), and now been rid of them for more than 2 years... I'm just saying, you gotta respect them. They are _nothing_ like roaches when it comes to 'poor housekeeping'. With roaches, you can do pretty well just by working on better housekeeping. With bedbugs, there is no fucking hope without further measures (heat- but done right, took me 3 months of 'heat waves' before I finally achieved full eradication, and my problem-space was much simpler than most peoples.

    4. Re:Interesting but not useful by jrumney · · Score: 1

      Dogs are unclean animals. The idea of them coming into your house and jumping all over your furniture including the bed that you sleep on every night is repugnant to a pretty significant portion of the world's population. There is definitely a market for an alternative to that.

  9. Re:Rave for Diatomacious. by Antipater · · Score: 2

    It's completely and absolutely harmless for you, babies, pets, etc.

    Once it's settled out of the air, sure. During application and until it settles, you should wear respiratory protection and keep kids/pets/etc out of the area. That pure, fine dust can and will cause inflammation of the respiratory tract if inhaled.

    --
    Everything is better with chainsaws.
  10. The only way to be sure... by Life2Short · · Score: 1

    Nuke 'em from orbit.

  11. Diatomaceous earth works. by Revek · · Score: 1

    A bag cost nine bucks at a the farm store. Its not a poison. Its a FDA approved additive for livestock feed. It is composed of fossilized diatoms. Works well on fire ants also. Doesn't really kill them all, it just encourages them to move on. It will get rid of many small insects.

    1. Re:Diatomaceous earth works. by Rich0 · · Score: 1

      Yup - used it to de-flea the house after treating the pets.

      Oh, be sure to buy food grade though. The filtration-grade stuff (often used in pool filters) is treated differently and can cause lung problems if inhaled (silicates/etc). The food-grade stuff is, as the name suggests, suitable for ingestion. It isn't really used as an ingredient in human food, though it might very well be used in processing food (it is a decent filtration substrate, less effective than carbon but it lasts a lot longer).

      My understanding is that the little pieces of silica basically get caught in the exoskeletons of insects and puncture their skin, causing them to dehydrate. I thought it was fatal to them, but it does get rid of them. With the flea problem we had I just sprinkled it into any place the pets frequented and all the beds, and just lightly rubbed it in. After a few weeks I vacuumed it up anyplace it was still around. A little goes a long way and it is dirt cheap - it is literally dug out of the ground.

  12. Is is just me? by Thud457 · · Score: 1

    Or does anyone else feel itchy after reading the summary?

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

    1. Re:Is is just me? by nightsky30 · · Score: 1

      Crappy movies, people talking and texting on their phones, and one more reason not to go to the movie theater!!! I wasn't itchy until I read your comment :)

  13. bedbug arena! by Thud457 · · Score: 2

    bedbug trap invented in New Jersey

    figures.

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  14. Re:Bedbug detector by wcrowe · · Score: 2

    I'd like to see how you get one and a half quarts of water in an old coffee cup.

    --
    Proverbs 21:19
  15. most methods to eradicate bed bugs fail by bjdevil66 · · Score: 1

    Per companies a friend of mine contacted when they had a sudden infestation in a single bedroom, the only way to kill bedbugs (as of 2013, when it happened) was to seal up the room and literally bake the space at a really high temperature, for a day or two (I don't recall the exact timeframe, but it was substantial and sounded expensive, energy-wise.)

    That process kills the bugs, larvae, and eggs - everything. Nothing else is guaranteed to work - especially because of the really long gestation time of the eggs (you may think they're gone but then they pop up again months later.) The process worked for the friend, and they haven't had a problem since.

    It's too bad we don't have something as effective as DDT was that also won't do as much collateral damage.

    1. Re:most methods to eradicate bed bugs fail by bjdevil66 · · Score: 1

      One other thing: Theaters being bedbug hangouts sounds crazy, but per the companies it is far more common than you'd think - and they are a real problem. A common transport vector is when a woman puts their purse on their floor of the theater, next to or under their seat. The bedbugs drop right into the open purse, she takes the purse home, they crawl out in your bedroom, and you suddenly have a real problem.

    2. Re:most methods to eradicate bed bugs fail by rmdingler · · Score: 1
      One source:

      100 minutes @ 106F

      25 minutes @ 109F

      4 minutes @ 113F

      1 minute @ 120F

      The caveat is the heat must penetrate at these temperatures into books, couch cushions, walls, bedding, etc. Every crevice the creature can hide in must reach the desired temperature before the time element kicks in.

      --
      Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

      Ernest Hemingway

    3. Re:most methods to eradicate bed bugs fail by Antipater · · Score: 1

      Could you link your source? That seems low to me. It's been a while since I checked (I did all my research during my infestation in 2012), but IIRC nothing below 113F is lethal. I remember 60 minutes at 113F, 20 minutes at 140F, ~30 seconds at 160F, and instantaneous at 212F.

      --
      Everything is better with chainsaws.
    4. Re:most methods to eradicate bed bugs fail by Antipater · · Score: 3, Informative

      Never mind, found this. 113F is the lethal temp. 122F is immediate kill temp.

      --
      Everything is better with chainsaws.
  16. Re:Bedbug detector by HouseOfMisterE · · Score: 1

    one and a half quarts of water? That is one big coffee cup!

  17. Re:Bedbug detector by SleazyRidr · · Score: 1

    You're an idiot. Just because you have an enormous coffee cup, does not make the very large coffee cup any smaller.

  18. Math fail... I thought we're all neckbeards here? by braden87 · · Score: 1

    Ugh it hasn't been "several" weeks since CES closed. My company was there so I know it ended Jan 10. Let's do some grade 1 math: Jan 21 (when this post was written) - Jan 10 = 11. Several is definitely plural, so you'd need at least 14 days. 14 > 11.

  19. Re:Bedbug detector by jrumney · · Score: 1

    Fill an old coffee cup with ... one and a half quarts (one and a half liters) of water....

    Before you try this over your mattress, you might want to check the size of your coffee cup.

  20. Re:Rave for Diatomacious. by Rich0 · · Score: 2

    It's completely and absolutely harmless for you, babies, pets, etc.

    Once it's settled out of the air, sure. During application and until it settles, you should wear respiratory protection and keep kids/pets/etc out of the area. That pure, fine dust can and will cause inflammation of the respiratory tract if inhaled.

    Well, I probably wouldn't want to inhale too much of the dust in any case, but you should use food-grade DE. Other grades can be treated in a way that can cause serious lung issues.

  21. Re:Diatomacious earth is natural and deadly by Hal_Porter · · Score: 2

    With the increase of insect resistance to pesticides we'd going to need some novel countermeasures. I propose widespread deployment of Diatomaceous Earth. Sure some people will die but the rest will evolve resistance.

    Now you'll say "That's complete madness. Humans are the ultimate K selected species so they've got no chance of out evolving r selected insects" Ordinarily that would be true but by careful use of mutagens and radiation and encouraging r selected traits like promiscuity and abandoning your kids. I think we can win.

    And we need too, to ensure that human civilisation, not bed bug, dominates New York. NOW AND FOREVER.

    --
    echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
  22. I use two methods by ihtoit · · Score: 1

    ...neither of which involve any sort of antenna stuck in the side of a Walkman.

    The first is a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter. Moves the little bastards like you wouldn't believe.
    The second is a liberal spraying with a little cocktail of my own design: it consists of a few drops of clove oil, a quantity of organic solvent, and water. Kills anything with more than four legs stone dead instantly, doesn't aggravate my lung condition and doesn't smell like someone just fumigated the place. One treatment every two months, and I'm gravy.

    --
    Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
    1. Re:I use two methods by ihtoit · · Score: 1

      addendum: there's another ingredient in my bug killer, and that's citrus oil.

      --
      Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
    2. Re:I use two methods by ihtoit · · Score: 1

      I have cats and they like to wander. I deal with it.

      --
      Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
  23. Better luck with the sticky pads by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 2

    Had a friend who had these. Nothing they tried worked.

    I found some sticky pads on the web (MUCH cheaper at farmer stores apparently).

    Put one under each bed leg.

    Problem solved very quickly.

    Also tried disposable plastic containers filled with Talc under each leg. That stopped the biting but didnt' kill the bugs.

    We were amazed by how many other bugs got caught on the things.
    Spiders-- silverfish-- doodle bugs-- no roaches so that was nice.

    Anyway recommend them. They will mess up carpet tho so you would need to put something under them if you have carpet.

    --
    She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
  24. Re:Diatomacious earth is natural and deadly by Swave+An+deBwoner · · Score: 1

    You raise a valid safety issue, however reportedly what is sold as "food grade" DE is primarily amorphous silica, not crystalline, and it's the crystalline form that has been (primarily) linked to lung damage. In particular, DE sold for use in swimming pool filtration has a high percentage of crystalline silica and should therefore be avoided.

    E.g., noted here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth

    Safety considerations

    Inhalation of crystalline silica is harmful to the lungs, causing silicosis. Amorphous silica is considered to be low toxicity, but prolonged inhalation cause changes to the lungs.[26] Diatomaceous earth is mostly amorphous silica, but contains some crystalline silica, especially in the saltwater forms.[27] In a study of workers, those exposed to natural DE for over 5 years had no significant lung changes, while 40% of those exposed to the calcined form had developed pneumoconiosis.[28] Today's common D.E. formulations are safer to use as they are predominantly made up of amorphous silica and contain little or no crystalline silica.[29]

    The crystalline silica content of D.E. is regulated in the United States by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and there are guidelines for the maximum amounts allowable in the product (1%) and in the air near the breathing zone of workers (6 mg/m3).[29]

    In the 1930s, long term occupational exposure among workers in the cristobalite D.E. industry who were exposed to high levels of airborne crystalline silica over decades were found to have an increased risk of silicosis.[30]

    Today, workers are required to use respiratory-protection measures when concentrations of silica exceed allowable levels.

    Diatomite produced for pool filters is treated with high heat (calcination) and a fluxing agent (soda ash), causing the formerly harmless amorphous silicon dioxide to assume its crystalline form.[29]

  25. Re:Bedbug detector by Graysccale · · Score: 1

    That's one big coffee cup!

  26. Re:Microwave by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

    Tell us if works on your crabs.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'