Tight Spot? Call In TOD

Carmon Rust and Brian Leighton are big guys. During a paranormal investigation they don't like to crawl around inside a tight attic or basement.

(Note: I'm also a big guy; I know what kind of limitations they face.)

Carmon and Brian are investigators for the Northern New York Paranormal Research Society, a group that checks into reports of supernatural events. When they can't personally eyeball an enclosed area, they plan to call in TOD.

That's Terrestrial Ocular Droid, a remote controlled toy mounted with a small camera that can be operated by a laptop computer or cell phone. Besides an acronym, TOD is also the name of a former NNYPRS investigator who liked to worm around inside attics and basements.

TOD meets the audience during a recent lecture by NNYPRS investigators.

TOD was one of the devices discussed by Carmon and Brian during their lecture at the Second Annual Northern NY Paranormal Expo held Saturday at the City of Plattsburgh Recreational Center, AKA the old Air Force base gym. Both speakers admitted they were geeks during their presentation, The Tools We Have Built. But unlike geeks who jury-rig just stuff for fun, the investigators recycle old parts and equipment to create practical devices that help them with their investigations.

Brian explained that almost any speaker can be inverted in function to become a microphone. One device he displayed as a car bass tube speaker rewired to a small amplifier to act as a low-frequency audio monitor.

Sometimes investigators have to peer beyond the visible light spectrum. A large flashlight was converted into a infra-red illuminator, the IR radiation visible on special cameras. An IR flashlight and camera were passed around the room. The flashlight seemed to be off but when an audience member viewed it through the special camera, the infra-red light could be seen.

Carmon Rust explains how a paranormal investigator can see beyond the visible light spectrum using special tools.

NNYPRS members are on a tight budget but functional investigative equipment can be made for less if one is inventive. A directional microphone to pick up soft sounds was made for a total cost of about five dollars. The case was made from an old six volt flashlight that Carmon was about to toss out when inspiration struck. For a pick-up dome a dog dish from the Dollar General store was attached. An inexpensive sound amp, a few wires, some outputs jacks and Voila! -- a functional mic is born. The device was passed around to the audience; a few heard Carmon sotto voce through its headphones.

It's amazing what you can hear through a dog dish.

Then there's TOD, a recycled toy tank with rubberized treads and a camera eye viewable on a computer monitor. Responding to my follow-up questions, Brian explained via email that TOD communicates via wi fi and can be controlled with arrow keys or a joystick. He added that the device is in the developmental stage. While it hasn't detected anything unusual, it did scare some unsuspecting people during a couple of field tests. When it does go into action in during an investigation, a rope will be attached to haul it back in case it gets hung up or its battery dies.

Someday TOD will go where angels -- and big guys -- fear to tread.

TOD keeps an eye on things at the NNYPRS vendor table. That large black tube to the left is a car speaker converted into a low-frequency microphone.

For more information about the Northern NY Paranormal Research Society: http://www.nnyprs.com/