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Afghanistan has a real-life version of Doc Brown, the kinetically hyperactive and clever inventor in the Back to the Future movies.
Like his fictitious counterpart, Afghan inventor Hanif Molavizadeh isn't widely lauded for his odd creations. But supporters believe his inventions could help fight growing crime in Afghanistan.
Take, for instance, his homemade burglar alarm.
With its urgent ticking, the alarm in a wooden box almost seems to dare someone to try and break into Molavizadeh's one-room home, which doubles as his workshop.
A simple wave of the hand outside the window triggers the alarm's motion detectors and sets off a song-like warning. An automated voice warns there is an intruder.
The contraption then calls Molavizadeh's cell phone. He says he can receive the automated warning from up to four miles away.
He shouts "Hello, who are you?" into his phone, and the sound of his voice is transmitted and broadcast through the alarm box.
If that's not enough to stop a would-be burglar, he says, then remote-firing the Kalashnikov attached to the wooden box should do the trick.
But sometimes inventors, including Molavizadeh, an unemployed electrical engineer bursting with nervous energy, have to work the kinks out of their creations.
The 60-year-old inventor says that last month, he forgot to unload the gun while testing the alarm...
The complete story on NPR
