And now, the ATMs strike back, the beetle style

Standing unarmed with a huge cache of money in the same place day after day in full view of passers-by would be deemed foolhardy by most people. But that is the uncomfortable predicament that automated teller machines (ATMs) find themselves in everywhere. It is indeed tragic but inevitable that they have, therefore, become sitting ducks for criminals.

Of late, there has been a rising trend worldwide of hapless ATMs being carted off to lonely spots and relieved of their precious stash, or simply vandalised where they stand transfixed in their little street-side cubicles. So, the news that ATMs could soon have the means to pay back their attackers, though not in the same coin, is heartening.

Attackers could soon be sprayed by a hot foam created by a cocktail of chemicals that come together when ATM surfaces covered with several layers of special plastic film are violently tampered with — ingeniously inspired by the natural weapon used by bombardier beetles by Swiss researchers. This certainly seems on the money. More so than most current defence mechanisms, in fact, which need electricity in order to work.

The downside, however, is that crooks can always don protective gear when planning an ATM kidnap or assault, as they would presumably be more devious and resourceful than the usual enemies of bombardier beetles.