101 Spy Gadgets for the Evil Genius 2/E, 2nd Edition

PROJECT 16Laser Spy Device

THE LASER SPY SYSTEM is considered by many to be the Holy Grail of high-tech spy devices because it can give the user the ability to listen in on conversations that take place in a distant building without having to install a bug or transmitter at the location. The laser spy system was said to be invented in the Soviet Union by Leon Theremin in the late 1940s. Using a non–laser-based infrared light source, Theremin’s system could detect sound from a nearby window by picking up the faint vibrations on the glass surface. The KGB later used this device to spy on the British, French, and U.S. embassies in Moscow. It is also interesting to note that Leon Theremin invented the world’s first electronic instrument, a wand-operated ...